- Lindsey Graham’s Senate Judiciary Committee seat was draped in black Wednesday in an emotional tribute to the senator as the committee convened for Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing.
- The late South Carolina Republican’s seat at the rostrum was also marked with a vase of white roses. Graham was set to chair the panel in the next Congress but died over the weekend of a tear in his aorta.
- Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, was sworn in on Tuesday to serve out the remaining months of his term, which ends in January. South Carolina Republicans are standing up a special primary election to pick a new nominee for this fall’s midterms.
- Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since April, when President Donald Trump fired Pam Bondi.
- He faced five hours of questions from lawmakers Wednesday about the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a “slush fund” to benefit President Donald Trump’s allies and a plan approved by Blanche to shield the president and his family from IRS investigations.
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