Politico reported Monday on Todd Blanche telling faith leaders on a private call last week that, if confirmed as the next attorney general, he intended to use his powers to impose national restrictions on abortion rights. The Republican lawyer specifically boasted that the Justice Department he leads was “working hand in hand” with federal health agencies and the White House “so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state.”
One day later, the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination anyway, but the news seemed like the sort of thing that might get the attention of Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Hours later, MS NOW reported:
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced on Tuesday she would oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination, meaning he can only lose one more Republican senator and still be confirmed as President Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Collins’ announcement, posted to X hours after he was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, sets up a potentially bumpy ride for Blanche on the Senate floor after he successfully mollified two other Senate Republicans who publicly aired concerns about him.
The incumbent senator, facing a tough re-election campaign in a Democratic-leaning state, listed a series of concerns about Blanche’s nomination, though her list specifically referenced his promise to “an anti-abortion organization that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion medication to women nationwide.”
As for how much this will affect Blanche’s prospects, the fight seems to be coming down to just two Republican members.
As things stand, the Senate Republican majority has 53 members, but with one incumbent, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, ailing and his return date uncertain, that leaves 52 GOP senators available for votes.
With Collins prepared to vote against President Donald Trump’s nominee, that narrows Blanche’s path a little more: If two more Senate Republicans balk, that would leave him with 49 votes — one short of what he’d need.
So the focus has shifted to two other GOP incumbents: Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski.
Cassidy, whose career the president helped end in a primary fight earlier this year, has shown increasing independence in recent months. He appeared rather skeptical of Blanche in comments to reporters last week, which he reiterated on Wednesday morning that he remains undecided.
Murkowski also sounded a skeptical note last week, although the Alaskan told a NOTUS reporter this week that she will “have a few more conversations” with Blanche before casting her vote.
(Utah’s John Curtis was also on the fence, though he ultimately did what he always does, announcing late Tuesday that he’ll vote with his party.)
What we’re left with is a straightforward matter: If both Cassidy and Murkowski balk, Blanche lacks the support he needs, and he’ll be positioned as the first cabinet secretary nominee to lose a Senate confirmation vote since John Tower in 1989. If Cassidy or Murkowski decide to support the nominee, Blanche will be confirmed, probably before senators begin their summer break later this week. Watch this space.
The post With Susan Collins opposed to Todd Blanche, his fate rests with two Senate Republicans appeared first on MS NOW.
