Todd Blanche Strikes Late-Night Deal with Senate GOP Holdouts to Clear Path to Confirmation
The high-stakes battle over the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has cleared a major procedural hurdle, but his path to final confirmation remains razor-thin. On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12–10 along party lines to advance Blanche's nomination to the full Senate floor.
The vote succeeded only after Blanche struck a late-night written agreement on Sunday, August 2, 2026, with Republican Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who had threatened to deadlock the committee. The senators’ holdout centered on the Trump administration's controversial settlement of the president's personal lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of that settlement, the administration had announced a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate Trump allies who claimed they were politically prosecuted. Under the written agreement, Blanche issued a formal Justice Department order confirming that the $1.8 billion fund is canceled and will not be established. Furthermore, the DOJ clarified in writing that the tax-audit immunity granted to Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization applies only to open claims at the time of the settlement and does not exempt them from audits on future tax filings.
Despite clearing the committee, Blanche's floor confirmation was immediately thrown into jeopardy when Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced on Tuesday that she will vote "no" on his nomination, becoming the first Republican to break ranks:
"While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, 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."
Collins cited several reasons for her opposition, including Blanche's role in the IRS audit shield, his defense of the "anti-weaponization fund" before its cancellation, and promises he made to anti-abortion faith leaders to use DOJ authority to restrict mail-order abortion medication nationwide.
With a narrow 53–47 Senate majority, the extended medical absence of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Collins' defection, Blanche can only afford to lose one more Republican vote. The focus now shifts to undecided moderate Republicans Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), both of whom met privately with Blanche on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, on Capitol Hill to weigh their votes.