Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced Tuesday that she will not be voting to confirm acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche for the full time role. The announcement shrinks the GOP-controlled Senate’s margin for error following what has already been a contentious confirmation process.
“I have carefully reviewed Todd Blanche’s qualifications to be Attorney General. This includes his record and responses to questions from Senators at the Department of Justice Appropriations hearing, his confirmation hearing, and in the weeks that followed. While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” Collins, who voted to confirm Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland, posted on X.
Collins went on to claim that the DOJ has become increasingly politicized under the Trump Administration, something she never said of the previous administration as they indicted their main political rivals. “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: Mr. Blanche approved an order to shield the President, his sons, and the family business from IRS audits, protections unavailable to other American taxpayers. He approved the creation of a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. He promised an anti-abortion organization that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion medication to women nationwide,” she continued.
“Under his leadership, the Department attempted to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over their ill-advised, but constitutionally protected, videos encouraging resistance to unlawful orders. More than 1,200 former Department of Justice employees have opposed his nomination, arguing that he has undermined the institution. For these reasons, I will vote against this nomination.”
I have carefully reviewed Todd Blanche’s qualifications to be Attorney General. This includes his record and responses to questions from Senators at the Department of Justice Appropriations hearing, his confirmation hearing, and in the weeks that followed.
While I believe Mr.…
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) August 4, 2026
Blanche’s nomination faced a difficult path through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Confirmation hearings were held on July 15 and 16, 2026. During the process, Republican Senators Tillis and Cornyn raised concerns raised concerns related to a settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and Trump stemming from a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service.
As part of the settlement, the Justice Department established a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund intended to compensate individuals who were subjected to politically-motivated prosecutions under the Biden Administration. This includes January 6 protesters, pro-life activists, and other conservative individuals who were targeted by the Biden DOJ.
After weeks of back and forth, the two senators came to an agreement with the administration over the weekend and agreed to advance Blanche’s nomination out of committee.
As of this report, no other Republican senators have firmly stated opposition to Blanche’s confirmation. Senator John Curtis (R-UT), previously viewed as a possible holdout, announced he would vote to confirm. Other potential holdouts, including Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) have previously questioned elements of Blanche’s record but have declined to say how they will vote.
