Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's path to permanent confirmation remains uncertain, even after a last-minute agreement with Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) cleared two potential obstacles. Several other GOP moderates have yet to commit, leaving Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) with a razor-thin margin for error in a chamber where he can afford few defections.
Centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who faces a tough reelection in a Democratic-leaning state, has not announced her position. She pressed Blanche on the Justice Department's proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, but Blanche rescinded the May 18 order establishing it as part of the Cornyn-Tillis deal. Collins's vote could become a campaign liability if she backs the nominee.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), often the most independent Republican, is also undecided. Blanche has courted her personally, traveling to two rural Western Alaska communities last month to meet with tribal leaders about public safety. His outreach underscores the importance of her vote.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has voiced sharp concerns about the Justice Department's investigation of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide who testified before the Jan. 6 committee. “I have to make sure that he is the attorney general who used to be the president's personal attorney, not the personal attorney who's also the attorney general,” Cassidy said. He questioned the empaneling of a grand jury to go after Hutchinson, asking, “Why? Tell me that again, why?” Cassidy declined further comment Monday.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) is also staying quiet. He met with Blanche to discuss a legal fight over federal demands for Utah's voter rolls, with the Justice Department threatening to prosecute Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson. Curtis noted that if former President Biden had made such a demand, “Utahns would be very grumpy.” He declined to discuss his vote.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), facing a tough race against Sherrod Brown, also declined to comment. With Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) absent, Thune's effective majority is 52 seats, meaning he can lose only two Republicans if all Democrats oppose. Thune has not yet whipped the conference, but he hopes to confirm Blanche before the August recess.
“Right now, it's still pending in the committee but hopefully it will come out of the committee tomorrow and then we'll go from there,” Thune said Monday. He added, “We have a bunch of stuff we have to finish, and we'll just stay here until we finish it.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (Iowa) has scheduled a Tuesday morning vote to advance Blanche's nomination. Thune plans to file cloture Wednesday, with a first procedural vote Friday and final confirmation Saturday. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) expects Blanche to be confirmed, saying he has heard of only “one or two” GOP colleagues with serious concerns.
Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), have criticized the Cornyn-Tillis deal as a sham, arguing it does not prevent Trump and his family from benefiting from broad IRS audit immunity. Schumer accused Republicans of “taking Trump's personal attorney at his word.” The deal, however, may be enough to secure Cornyn and Tillis, as detailed in the concessions that won Cornyn's support. But with other moderates still uncommitted, the outcome remains in doubt, and Thune's packed legislative week could complicate the timeline.
