Senators voted to confirm Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general in early 2025, but there’s no guarantee they will now vote to install him as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.
Blanche, now serving as acting attorney general, faces a potentially rocky path through the Senate, with multiple key Republicans not immediately committing to supporting President Donald Trump’s expected nominee to run the Department of Justice.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday it was “hard to say” if Blanche would have a difficult time getting confirmed to succeed Pam Bondi, who was ousted from the position back in April.
“Most of our members are pretty deferential to who the president wants in some of these key positions,” Thune said, but added, “This is an environment where nothing’s a safe or sure bet these days.”
Trump’s nominees can lose three Republican votes and still be confirmed by calling in Vice President JD Vance to break a tie.
But the bigger hurdle could be getting Blanche through the Senate Judiciary Committee, where opposition from one Republican is enough to bottle up a nomination unless the nominee can also get help from Democrats on the panel. It’s not likely Blanche would get that bipartisan support.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is viewed as the critical vote for Blanche to win over on the Judiciary Committee. Tillis has vowed he won’t support Justice Department nominees who he views as sympathetic those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and previously told POLITICO that the Justice Department’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” would be a factor in whether or not an attorney general nominee is able to be confirmed.
Blanche told House appropriators Tuesday that the Trump administration would not go forward with administering payouts to individuals deemed victims of “lawfare” by the federal government. But the attempt to establish such an account has continued to present a political problem for Republicans, with many seeing Blanche as the face of the effort.
“What we need to do right now is focus on the [Anti-Weaponization] Fund, or he’s not going to have a very good time in Judiciary Committee,” Tillis, who will retire after the end of this year, told reporters when asked about Blanche’s forthcoming nomination. “Just think about what the Democrats would do to him.”
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, another Senate Judiciary Republican, said of Blanche’s chances, “I think it depends on his answers to questions that I intend to ask him at the Judiciary Committee.”
“The attorney general is not the president’s private lawyer, so it’s sort of by its nature, it’s a really hard job to do, but I want to make sure he understands the difference and is committed to making sure that the law is enforced,” Cornyn said.
Cornyn, like Tillis, has little left to lose by breaking with the president: He won’t be standing for reelection this fall after losing his primary late last month.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who also sits on the Senate Judiciary, said “I really don’t know” when asked if he thought Blanche could get through committee or be confirmed by the full Senate, adding, “I’m keeping an open mind.”
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) was bullish on Blanche’s prospects, “based on the proposition that every Republican on the committee voted for him less than a year ago, and based on the proposition that every … Republican Senator voted for him a year ago.”
Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
