WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (DC Times Online) — Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Aug. 4 that she will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general, citing concerns about the Justice Department’s independence and several actions taken under Blanche’s leadership.
The decision narrows Blanche’s path in the full Senate. His nomination had advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 12-10 vote along party lines. The Senate has not yet recorded a final confirmation vote in the information available for this report.
Collins’ opposition matters because the nomination is moving through a closely divided Senate, where the outcome depends on attendance and the positions of other senators. Republican Sens. John Curtis of Utah and Jon Husted of Ohio have said they support Blanche, according to their public statements reported by congressional news coverage. The exact number of additional Republican votes Blanche can lose is not clear from the available Senate attendance and vote information.
What Collins said
Collins said Blanche is a “capable lawyer,” but argued that the Justice Department 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 said in her statement.
Her objections focus on decisions involving President Donald Trump and his political allies, as well as cases involving Democratic senators.
Collins said Blanche approved an Internal Revenue Service-related settlement that she viewed as protecting Trump, his sons and the family business from audits. She said those protections were not available to other taxpayers. The available material does not include the full settlement or an independent legal analysis of its effect.
Collins also cited Blanche’s reported pledge to an anti-abortion organization to seek a ban on mailing abortion medication. The organization and the precise terms of the reported pledge were not identified in the available records.
She further pointed to Justice Department efforts involving Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. The senators had appeared in a video urging service members to resist unlawful orders. Collins described their conduct as “ill-advised, but constitutionally protected.” The available records do not establish whether formal indictments were issued or what charges were considered.
What was the anti-weaponization fund?
A central issue was an approximately $1.8 billion Justice Department fund that Collins described as an “anti-weaponization fund.” The fund was established by a May 18 order and was intended to address claims involving alleged government targeting, according to the Justice Department documents cited in the coverage.
Critics, including Collins, objected to the fund as a potential vehicle for claims by Trump allies against the federal government. Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina also raised concerns and sought written assurances from the Justice Department during negotiations over Blanche’s nomination.
Blanche rescinded the fund in an order dated Aug. 2. The order said that no members had been appointed, no money had been transferred, no claims process had been created and no claims had been paid.
The order stated: “No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid.” It also said the action established “beyond any doubt” that there was no fund.
Collins nevertheless cited Blanche’s role in creating or approving the fund as a reason to oppose his nomination. Her statement indicates that the rescission did not resolve her broader concern about the department’s independence.
Where the nomination stands
The Judiciary Committee’s 12-10 vote sent the nomination to the full Senate. A committee vote advances a nomination but does not confirm the nominee; the full Senate must vote separately.
Collins’ announcement came after Blanche rescinded the fund. It also followed President Trump’s public defense of Blanche and the fund on July 31, when Trump said Blanche should be approved, according to a CNN report based on Trump’s public statement.
More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees have opposed Blanche’s nomination, Collins said. The full opposition letter and the organization that coordinated it were not included in the available records.
For now, Collins’ vote is a clear break with the administration on a nomination that had cleared the committee without Democratic support. The final outcome will depend on the full Senate’s attendance and on whether other senators join Collins in opposing Blanche.
