Darline Graham

COLUMBIA — Attorney General Todd Blanche will meet with Charleston-area law enforcement Oct. 8 for an anti-crime roundtable with U.S. Sen. Darline Graham two months after she cast the deciding vote to confirm the controversial lawman to the office.

Blanche will join Graham and U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Bryan Stirling for a one-hour roundtable with local law enforcement officials in North Charleston at 2 p.m. to discuss national efforts to reduce violent crime. Afterward the trio will take questions from reporters.

Myrtle Beach Congressman Russell Fry will also attend, his office said.

The visit, on the heels of a surprise visit by FBI chief Kash Patel to Columbia earlier this year, comes at a critical time both for Blanche and South Carolina’s newest senator, who have both faced withering scrutiny in recent weeks.

A former attorney for President Donald Trump during his trial for concealing hush money payments from Trump’s circle to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Blanche was met with hostility by Senate Democrats ahead of his confirmation as the nation’s top prosecutor earlier this summer.

Blanche was scrutinized over his previous record as Trump’s personal attorney alongside alleged ethics transgressions made in his previous role as a deputy to former attorney general Pam Bondi.

Bondi was believed to have been fired from the position for her handling of the Epstein files and an unwillingness to prosecute Trump’s political opponents. In voting for his nomination, Graham called Blanche “highly qualified” to hold the position.

Graham, meanwhile, remains mired in a surprisingly competitive race to retain her Senate seat against Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews, locked in a dead heat in public polling and struggling to raise money.

Trump, who supported Graham during the primary and recruited her to run for the seat, has been reported by outlets like The New York Times to be considering a return trip to the state to boost her candidacy.