Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has moved to within a single vote of winning confirmation to lead the Justice Department, but his path narrowed after Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of three remaining Republican holdouts, announced Tuesday evening she will vote against his nomination as it finally heads toward the Senate floor.
“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 said in a statement.
After weeks of intense talks, the acting attorney general finally cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning, having struck a deal over the weekend with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) to nix a controversial “anti-weaponization fund” and limit the scope of President Donald Trump’s audit immunity deal with the IRS.