The Todd Blanche attorney general nomination cleared its committee hurdle Tuesday but immediately ran into trouble on the Senate floor, after Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced she will vote against confirming the acting attorney general to the permanent post.

That single defection dramatically tightens the arithmetic. With Sen. Mitch McConnell still absent from Washington, Blanche can now afford to lose only one additional Republican and still be confirmed.

Collins Explains Her Opposition

Collins framed her decision around institutional concerns rather than personal ones. She acknowledged Blanche’s competence as a lawyer while arguing that the Justice Department has grown steadily more political.

Her objection centered on specific conduct. She said Blanche has taken multiple actions that further weakened the department’s independence, and identified that erosion as the reason for her vote.

Collins is currently facing a difficult reelection campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson, a dynamic that will inevitably feature in interpretations of her decision, though her stated rationale is consistent with positions she has taken on DOJ independence before.

Who Else Might Defect

Collins is not the only Republican expressing reservations. Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski have both raised concerns about the nomination without committing to a position.

Either could sink it. With McConnell away, the margin has effectively collapsed to zero room for error beyond one more no vote.

That makes the coming days genuinely uncertain in a way that most cabinet-level confirmations are not.

How the Committee Vote Was Secured

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche on a 12-10 party-line vote, but two Republicans required convincing first.

Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis both had outstanding objections and negotiated an agreement before voting yes. That deal did two things: it clarified the scope of the president’s IRS immunity arrangement, and it formally rescinded the administration’s $1.8 billion program known as the Anti-Weaponization Fund.

Notably, the agreement contains nothing preventing the fund from reappearing under a different name or through an alternative mechanism. Cornyn addressed that gap indirectly, saying the department has been consistent in maintaining the fund is finished and that he expects officials to honor that position in any future litigation.

Tillis was blunter about his own objections. He said he had never liked what he called the 1776 fund, describing it with the phrase “payout pot for punks” and calling it an insult to the police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. With the rescission in place, he declared himself satisfied.

Tillis also offered a broader observation, noting that malicious prosecution is a problem both parties confront, and expressing hope that Blanche’s confirmation would bend the curve away from what he termed absurdity.

Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley credited Cornyn and Tillis for extracting the agreement, saying many members shared their worries. In his assessment, formally rescinding the fund and clarifying the release of claims settled the matter permanently.

Democrats Reject the Entire Premise

Democratic members on the panel viewed the negotiated fix as beside the point.

Sen. Chris Coons argued the real disqualifier was that Blanche allowed the fund to be created at all. In his telling, an acting attorney general asked to do something plainly unethical should have refused outright. Coons said he pressed Blanche during his confirmation hearing on whether he had even attempted to dissuade the president from the plan, and received no answer.

Blanche had addressed that characterization during the hearing, pushing back on the suggestion that he functions as a rubber stamp. He said the president trusts him for counsel, and that providing counsel does not mean simply agreeing, adding that the same standard should apply to any attorney general.

Other Democrats went considerably further in their language.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse described the proceeding as a sad and embarrassing day for the committee, arguing that a party-line vote was advancing perhaps the least creditable person ever to seek the office.

Sen. Cory Booker delivered an extended warning, contending the country was entering dangerous territory. He argued Blanche would not serve as the nation’s lawyer but rather as a weapon against the president’s opponents and a shield against scrutiny.

What Happens Next

The nomination is now positioned for floor consideration.

Absent an agreement to accelerate the timeline, the earliest procedural vote would come Friday. That schedule would place a final confirmation vote sometime Saturday.

Between now and then, the entire outcome likely rests on Cassidy and Murkowski. Both have voiced concerns without declaring how they will vote. If either joins Collins, the nomination fails in its current form.

McConnell’s absence adds a further variable. A return before the vote would restore a cushion Republicans currently do not have, though there has been no indication of his timeline.

For an office that traditionally attracts at least some bipartisan support, the fact that confirmation now hinges on two undecided members of the nominee’s own party underscores how contested this appointment has become.