Trump Wants Todd Blanche To Be US Attorney General

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve in the role of attorney general permanently, which isn’t a surprise. We all know Trump loves and requires a good sycophant to serve in his Cabinet, and Blanche is such a loyal stooge that he both championed Trump’s now-defunct anti-weaponization-of-lawfare fund after defending Trump’s “right” to weaponize lawfare against his political opponents. Blanche is basically just a cheap Pam Bondi rebrand, so why not?

The question, though, is whether or not his nomination can survive the Senate confirmation process, when even some Republican lawmakers seem to be looking at him like he’s the smelly kid looking for a free seat on the school bus, especially since he went so hard in defense of what many people viewed as a Jan. 6 reparations fund.

From Politico:

But the bigger hurdle could be getting Blanche through the Senate Judiciary Committee, where opposition from one Republican is enough to bottle up a nomination unless the nominee can also get help from Democrats on the panel. It’s not likely Blanche would get that bipartisan support.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is viewed as the critical vote for Blanche to win over on the Judiciary Committee. Tillis has vowed he won’t support Justice Department nominees who he views as sympathetic those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and previously told POLITICO that the Justice Department’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” would be a factor in whether or not an attorney general nominee is able to be confirmed.

Blanche told House appropriators Tuesday that the Trump administration would not go forward with administering payouts to individuals deemed victims of “lawfare” by the federal government. But the attempt to establish such an account has continued to present a political problem for Republicans, with many seeing Blanche as the face of the effort.

“What we need to do right now is focus on the [Anti-Weaponization] Fund, or he’s not going to have a very good time in Judiciary Committee,” Tillis, who will retire after the end of this year, told reporters when asked about Blanche’s forthcoming nomination. “Just think about what the Democrats would do to him.”

Tillis took even more of a hard-line stance against any nominee who would even breathe a word of support for Jan. 6 rioters.

“They better not have said for one minute that the people that beat up police officers — like these right down here — were righteous people,” he said, according to The Hill.

Tillis declared that anyone who comes “even close to saying that” doesn’t have a chance of getting his vote in the Judiciary.

On a side note: Has Tillis even met our current president?  

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) who is also on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also expressed his doubts regarding Blanche, even going so far as to question whether his undying loyalty to Trump might be a hindrance in his ability to do his job.

“The attorney general is not the president’s private lawyer, so it’s sort of by its nature, it’s a really hard job to do, but I want to make sure he understands the difference and is committed to making sure that the law is enforced,” Cornyn said.

Waaaait a minute — attorneys general appointed by Trump are not Trump’s private lawyers? Was anybody going to tell Bondi, Lindsey Halligan, or Alina Habba that? Because it could have saved them a lot of grief and even more of their dignity.

To be fair, neither Tillis nor Cornyn has anything to fear from Trump or the cultist voters who turn on any Republican who falls short of kissing his MAGA ring, as neither senator is up for reelection in November. But even those who seem less than sure about Blanche’s confirmation prospects.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday it was “hard to say” if Blanche would get party support, while even admitting that Republicans tend to just do whatever Trump wants.

“Most of our members are pretty deferential to who the president wants in some of these key positions,” Thune said, adding, however, that “this is an environment where nothing’s a safe or sure bet these days.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), another member of the judiciary committee, simply responded, “I really don’t know,” when asked if he thought Blanche could get through the confirmation process. Though he did say, “I’m keeping an open mind.” Of course, that’s usually the kind of thing one says when they’re asked to try raw oysters for the first time, or something like that, but whatever.

Obviously, none of this means Blanche won’t be confirmed, but the fact that prominent Republicans seem so squeamish about the prospect speaks volumes.

As for his chances of gaining any Democratic support, well, let’s just say that even Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) — who recently told NewsNation he will vote against the resolution to force Trump to end the Iran war, which passed in the House this week with four Republicans joining the effort — said he “would not vote for him,” citing Blanche’s support for the slush fund.

Welp, good luck with all that, Blanche. We’ll see how it goes.

SEE ALSO:

Trump’s Little MAGA Reparations Fund Is Permanently Canceled

Todd Blanche: Weaponizing DOJ Against Political Rivals Is Trump’s Right

Trump Wants Todd Blanche To Be US Attorney General. Republicans Unsure was originally published on newsone.com