[Up First] Blanche Confirmation Hearing, Iran War And Midterm Politics, Clayton ODNI Hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held its first day of confirmation hearings for Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department. Blanche has served as deputy attorney general since last year and assumed the acting top role in April after Trump dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi. Senators largely honed in on his unusually close relationship with the president rather than his professional credentials.

Blanche spent several years as Trump’s personal lawyer, defending him in cases involving election interference and classified documents. Democrats argued he never stopped serving Trump’s personal interests. During the hearing, Blanche momentarily misspoke, referring to himself as Trump’s current lawyer before correcting himself — a slip that Democrats seized on as symbolic.

Republican Senator John Cornyn remained publicly undecided, citing concerns over a proposed fund to compensate January 6 rioters using taxpayer money, and over broad immunity DOJ granted Trump and his sons from past tax audits. A federal judge in Florida sharply criticized that deal, writing that DOJ officials had abdicated responsibility in an arrangement that benefited Trump.

President Trump formally notified Congress that the United States is once again engaged in military conflict with Iran, restarting a 60-day clock under the War Powers Act during which the president can conduct military operations without congressional approval. The administration launched new strikes, and the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil chokepoint — remains a focal concern for energy markets worldwide.

A majority of Americans oppose the war, yet Trump’s political base remains supportive. The key political variable is economic: if the new offensive succeeds in breaking the Iranian government’s position and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, falling gas prices could provide a political dividend for Republicans ahead of the midterms. However, if fighting drags on and energy prices keep rising, the electoral damage could be severe.

Foreign policy rarely dominates midterm elections in the United States, but the combination of ongoing combat, rising fuel costs, and proximity to the November vote means this conflict could be an exception. Analysts note that voters’ perception of whether the U.S. is winning or losing will matter as much as the underlying geopolitical reality, making the framing of the conflict in the coming weeks critically important for both parties.

Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, faced pointed questions at his Senate confirmation hearing. Clayton, a former Securities and Exchange Commission chair with no prior intelligence experience, repeatedly declined to answer whether he acknowledged the results of the 2020 presidential election, telling Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff that he was “not going to get into that.”

Democratic senators pressed Clayton on two distinct concerns: his lack of intelligence experience for one of the most sensitive national security roles in government, and his unwillingness to make straightforward factual statements before the committee. Ossoff reminded Clayton that nominees have a legal and ethical obligation to be “honest and forthright” with the Senate.

Critics argued that a nominee who will oversee the entire U.S. intelligence community cannot dodge basic factual questions about past elections without raising serious doubts about his impartiality. Republicans largely defended Clayton, framing the Democratic line of questioning as politically motivated rather than substantively relevant to his fitness for the role.