The White House sent President Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general to the Senate on Monday, setting up what is expected to be a closely watched confirmation battle for the president’s longtime attorney.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent legal defenders during the president’s criminal cases following his first term in office. He served as lead defense counsel in Trump’s New York hush-money trial and represented him in several other high-profile legal matters before joining the Justice Department after Trump returned to the Oval Office.
Trump announced his intention to nominate Blanche last week. Blanche took on the role in an acting capacity after former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired from the post in the face of significant backlash over the DOJ’s role in releasing the Epstein files.
When first announcing his plans, Trump said he expects the Senate to vote on Blanche’s nomination “very quickly.”
But Blanche’s confirmation faced scrutiny even before his nomination became official, as some Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans have ripped Blanche for his allegiance to Trump and past comments he made about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, questioning his independence.
More recently, Blanche came under fire for his handling of a proposed compensation fund tied to Trump’s lawsuit with the IRS that could have benefited Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies. The fund has since been tabled after receiving bipartisan pushback.
Blanche received unanimous support from Senate Republicans when he was nominated as deputy attorney general last year, but several prominent GOP members have changed their tune.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Kennedy (R-LA), all of whom are on the Judiciary Committee, have all voiced opposition to Blanche taking on the top attorney role.
To secure his nomination, Blanche would need to convince any swaying Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to get in his corner. If any GOP senators vote “no” and all Democrats follow suit, the panel enters a stalemate, and the nomination fails.
On the Senate floor, Blanche should not expect any Democratic backing.
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), although in the opposing party, has also said he would not vote to confirm Blanche, a notable stance considering the lawmaker occasionally crosses the aisle during the Senate confirmation process.
Centrist Republicans, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would also take some convincing if Blanche’s nomination moves past the Judiciary Committee.