Blanche nomination has momentum, despite a few GOP obstacles

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The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 03, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 03, 2026

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation to the permanent post faces hurdles in the Senate even after the dramatic deal involving Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), as several other key GOP senators remain undecided over his nomination.

Centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who faces a tough reelection contest in a Democratic-leaning state, has yet to announce her support for Blanche. Her vote could become a campaign issue if she backs him.

Collins grilled Blanche over the Justice Department’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, but Blanche on Sunday signed a memo rescinding the May 18 order establishing the fund as part of the deal to secure support from Cornyn and Tillis.

Meanwhile, centrist Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), perhaps the most independent member of the Senate Republican conference, is also undecided on how to vote on Blanche.

Blanche has worked hard for Murkowski’s support and visited two rural communities in Western Alaska last month to meet with tribal leaders about public safety issues in those remote settlements.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a maverick who has bucked President Trump on several high-profile issues, is also a swing vote.

He recently criticized the Justice Department’s investigation of former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified in 2022 to a special House Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“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 last week. “I am concerned about the lawfare, going after people. Cassidy Hutchinson, for example, a grand jury — I’m told — is being empaneled, going after her. Why? Tell me that again, why?”

“The fact that that’s happening … should concern all Americans because where does it stop?” the senator added.

Cassidy declined to comment on Blanche on Monday........

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