Former US Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares to testify ahead of acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be Attorney General, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2026. President Donald Trump's pick to be the next US attorney general -- his former personal defense lawyer Todd Blanche -- faces what is expected to be a contentious Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday. (Photo by Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)