The fate of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination remains uncertain, despite a crucial hurdle being overcome in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The committee confirmed Blanche in a 12-10 vote, sending him to the Senate floor for a final test.
The agreement that secured the support of key holdouts, Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, would permanently rescind the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund and narrow the scope of Trump's audit immunity. However, some lawmakers are questioning the agreement and whether Trump will actually comply.
Tillis and Cornyn have expressed confidence in the deal, stating that the audit immunity is narrowly defined and would be difficult to construe as a "get out of audit free" clause. However, their colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee have a divided outlook on the nature of the deal.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, has expressed skepticism, stating that the tax immunity deal is still unlimited in terms of past potential liability and that the anti-weaponization fund is still "alive and well" in Trump's eyes. Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican, has warned that Trump could renege on the agreement.
The confirmation process is not yet guaranteed, as a handful of Senate Republicans remain undecided. With Sen. Mitch McConnell still missing due to injury, Blanche can only afford to lose two votes on the Senate floor. Several senators, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, are still on the fence about Blanche's nomination.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed a desire to move forward with Blanche's confirmation as soon as possible, but the schedule and outlying variables make it uncertain whether the confirmation will be completed before September.
