Will Todd Blanche get through the full Senate?

The Senate’s Judiciary Committee voted to confirm Todd Blanche for attorney general. The vote was along party lines and came after a contentious hearing where Trump had threatened to withdraw the nomination of his former personal lawyer due to objections from two senators that were leaving the Senate that Trump spurned.

The reason the hearing was contentious reveals something about the president’s character — or the lack of it. Blanche needed every Republican vote to get his nomination out of the Committee, since every Democrat would oppose him. But two aggrieved senators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, said that they will vote against Blanche unless he does two things. First, he must guarantee that the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” slush-fund “settlement” — reached by Trump’s Justice Department with Trump’s other personal lawyers — is truly dead. Second, Tillis and Cornyn also want a written statement that the settlement would grant no immunity from IRS audits to Trump or his sons.

Well he did the first but not the second. Earlier, Blanche could not give such a guarantee because his boss would not allow it. The president tweeted that his supporters “should be given compensation for what has been done to them.” Tillis disagreed posting on X that “Anyone who attacked law enforcement should still be in prison, not getting a check from the federal government.” 

The president threatened to keep Blanche “acting” and wait until the next Congress to renominate him, once Tillis and Cornyn are gone. Trump posted: “I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.” He also bragged that both senators’ “political careers have been ended by my action.” Here is the president’s full post:

“Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals [sic] of All Time. However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting. Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention. I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office. President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Trump posted that the anti-weaponization fund “will not benefit me but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration.… Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history. They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them. I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure.”

Tillis responded that the president “made it clear today that the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it.”

Trump was betting that by January he’ll still control a majority on the Judiciary Committee made up of compliant gutless republicans. Right now, the senators who seem willing to go along with the president include our Marsha Blackburn, Chuck Grassley (the committee chair), Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, John Kennedy, Eric Schmitt, Katie Britt and Ashley Moody. The committee’s makeup could change in the next Congress, of course. But for now, republicans — apart from Tillis and Cornyn — were willing to confirm Blanche who now despite the “settlement” will eventually find a way to hand Trump his $1.776 billion and shield him from IRS audits.

Blanche provided the written guarantee formally withdrawing the fund saying “This Order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.” What of the IRS audits? That immunity still stands shielding Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization. It relieves Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization of liability for any tax violations they may have committed prior to May 19 which could save Trump more than $100 million in back taxes, interest, and penalties. 

For some reason this was enough to get Tillis and Cornyn on board with voting for the Blanche nomination. A “guarantee” from Blanche that the fund is dead but keeping the immunity in place? Anyway, given the president’s past history, I would think that the senators should be skeptical that Trump would abide by the guarantee once Blanche is confirmed. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) – not exactly the brightest bulb in the Seante – called the new commitments “decorative.” That’s putting it nicely. “There’s enough weasel room in these documents to drive a truck through,” adding that nothing in the agreement prevents the Justice Department from standing up a new fund under a different name.

The nomination now goes to the full Senate where confirmation is in doubt. Who said “Fool me once?” Also, couldn’t a future president have the IRS come after Trump? That seems highly likely except that I presume that like Biden, Trump will pardon himself, his family and his organization.

We must wait and see if all republicans will vote for Blanche. I would not be shocked if Tillis and Cornyn might vote against him before the full Senate. Also Susan Collins is like always in a tough re-election race and probably will vote against. Lisa Murkowski has noted her opposition. Bill Cassidy may exact some revenge going out the door. John Curtis and Jon Husted are non-committal. And is Mitch McConnell still alive? The only reason that McConnell is still hanging own is because Kentucky has a democrat governor who would replace McConnell with a democrat.

Pardon me but this whole episode stinks. What does it say about a president who puts his own nominee in such an untenable position? The judge ruling on the “settlement” previously had questioned its propriety and said it should be voided. But Trump is unlikely to give up the slush fund regardless of some “guarantee.” Then what would Blanche do? Would he resign? He would If he were an honorable man. But Blanche, I am afraid is not an honorable man.