Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) cast serious doubt on Sunday that the Senate will confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent post, as a Republican standoff over a Department of Justice fund threatens to derail the nomination.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Kennedy, a Judiciary Committee member, indicated that GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) are in discussions with the DOJ to resolve their impasse over Blanche. But he was not optimistic about a breakthrough.
"I don't know if they'll reach a deal," Kennedy told host Kristen Welker. "Frankly, I think the odds are against it. I wouldn't bet my house on it. And if I were betting your house, it would just be a maybe."
The dispute centers on the DOJ's anti-weaponization fund, which was created in mid-May as part of a settlement in President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and then dropped roughly two weeks later. Cornyn and Tillis, both departing the Senate next year, have vowed to block Blanche unless the DOJ rules out reviving the $1.776 billion fund. Their opposition forced Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to cancel a scheduled Thursday meeting on Blanche's nomination.
Trump, however, has doubled down, saying Saturday he will keep Blanche in his acting role as long as the two senators oppose him. The president also threatened to push legislation that would codify the fund—a move Tillis said "a majority of Republicans in the Senate" would reject.
Kennedy, who has been a vocal critic of the fund, said he would not support a blank-check version. "We already have an anti-weaponization fund, a pool of money that you can access if you're abused by government, through the Federal Tort Claims Act," he said. "But if [Trump] wants to improve it, I'm willing to look at it. But I'm not going to give him a blank check."
The Louisiana Republican also opposed extending taxpayer dollars to individuals convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, a position that aligns with some of his GOP colleagues.
The standoff has drawn attention to the broader GOP divisions over Blanche's nomination, with some senators questioning Trump's leverage in the fight. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet again Tuesday morning, though Tillis indicated in a social media post that Blanche's confirmation remains unlikely without a resolution.
"It's unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal," Tillis wrote on X, referring to the upcoming meeting.
Kennedy's remarks highlight the fragility of Blanche's path to confirmation, as the president's insistence on the fund continues to alienate key Republican senators. With the committee deadlocked, the future of the DOJ's leadership remains uncertain.
