Here's the Latest on Blanche's Confirmation

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s final confirmation vote remains up in the air as of Thursday, as it’s unclear where two Republican senators stand on his nomination before the expected vote on Friday or Saturday.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have not made their stance public on whether or not they will back Blanche to permanently serve in the high-level role in the Trump administration, which he had taken over from former Attorney General Pam Bondi this spring, according to Punchbowl News.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) already said she’s voting against his nomination, and the Republican caucus is down a member with the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

The outlet said that it was possible that Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) would potentially miss the vote due to his wife’s emergency surgery, but the senator clarified on X that he would “not be missing the vote on Blanche.”

Blanche’s nomination made it out of the Senate Judiacry Committee earlier this week after days of tension related to the president’s once-proposed anti-weaponization fund as part of his settlement with the IRS.

I will not be missing the vote on Blanche. https://t.co/dLb1KiEMHJ
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) August 6, 2026

Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) ultimately ended up voting for him in the committee meeting.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche wrote Sunday regarding the agreement. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.”

As for Collins, she argued that “the Department of Justice has become increasingly political.”

“Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation,” she said in a statement.

I have carefully reviewed Todd Blanche’s qualifications to be Attorney General. This includes his record and responses to questions from Senators at the Department of Justice Appropriations hearing, his confirmation hearing, and in the weeks that followed.

While I believe Mr.…
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) August 4, 2026

Collins is running in one of the most heated Senate races in the country against Democrat Troy Jackson. Her reelection could determine the majority in the upper chamber this November.

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