Trump’s Attorney General Pick Survives Committee, But Just Barely

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines on August 4 to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general to the full Senate, after Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina ended a days-long standoff by securing a binding written commitment that the Justice Department would permanently terminate a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” [1, 2]. The fund, created as part of a settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns, would have compensated people who claimed to be victims of federal government “weaponization,” including some tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot [2]. Hours after the committee vote, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced she would oppose Blanche on the Senate floor, citing actions she says have further eroded the Justice Department’s independence — leaving Blanche able to afford only one more Republican defection given the Senate’s makeup [3].

Why It Sucks:

Trump-Aligned Republicans

• Blanche clears the hardest hurdle yet. After days of GOP infighting, the committee vote sends the nomination of Trump’s own former defense lawyer to the Senate floor, exactly where his allies wanted it [1, 2].
• Killing the fund proves good faith. Supporters argue the DOJ’s formal, written termination of the fund should have satisfied any remaining doubts about Blanche’s independence from the White House [2].
• Collins’ defection was expected, not fatal. Backers note Blanche can still be confirmed with the votes he has, framing Collins as an outlier rather than a sign of broader GOP unease [3, 4].

Senate Democrats

• The president’s own lawyer now runs the DOJ. Every committee Democrat voted no, arguing Blanche’s history representing Trump personally makes him structurally incapable of overseeing investigations touching the president [1, 2].
• A $1.8 billion slush fund was the tell. Democrats point to the fund’s existence in the first place — designed to pay out people like January 6 defendants — as proof of what an unchecked DOJ under Blanche might attempt [2].
• Unanimous opposition sends a message leadership can’t ignore. The party-line committee vote signals Democrats intend to make Blanche’s confirmation a floor fight over DOJ politicization, not a formality [1].

Institutionalist Republicans

• One GOP defection isn’t nothing. Collins’ public break, framed around DOJ independence rather than partisanship, signals unease among Republicans who aren’t reflexively loyal to the White House [3].
• The fund fight was a symptom, not the disease. Cornyn and Tillis extracted a narrow written concession, but Collins argues the broader pattern of eroding DOJ independence under Blanche remains unresolved [3, 2].
• A razor-thin margin invites more scrutiny. With Blanche able to lose only one more vote, institutionalists say the fight isn’t over even after the committee’s approval [3].

Sources & Citations:

[1] The Hill: Senate Judiciary Committee advances Todd Blanche nomination for attorney general
[2] NPR: Todd Blanche rescinds Trump anti-weaponization fund
[3] CNBC: Sen. Susan Collins will oppose Blanche, a critical blow for Trump’s AG pick
[4] Fox News: Todd Blanche clears Senate Judiciary Committee after GOP holdout deal