With acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s name moved to the full Senate, Republicans are counting votes to see who needs an out because they are locked in a tight election.
On MS NOW, hosts Alicia Menendez and Eugene Daniels pointed out that the GOP leadership is “gaming” out how the vote will go, and a likely pass will be given to vulnerable Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
As Menendez pointed out, of all the Republican senators who will have to make a choice on approving Blanche, Collins is the most endangered, in light of her previous controversial decision to back Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Menendez, the daughter of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), suggested Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) may be working the phones.
“Here's the thing, if Thune thinks that he can persuade [Sen. Bill] Cassidy or [Sen. Lisa] Murkowski, and he doesn't have any other problems that we're unaware of, then he frees up Collins and says, I understand you're up for reelection. You take the vote you need to take — I don't know that the math is there.”
“It doesn't feel like it at this point,” Daniels replied. “I will say it's always so interesting to me when someone like Cassidy says, “I think this guy might be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump to be his lawyer— .”
“You don't say,” Menendez interrupted with a laugh.
“But also, what have you been watching since January 20th to 2025?” Daniels joked. “And if they had these strong feelings about how the DOJ was running, I think they would have said something.”
“But when they're sitting there and they're trying to game it out, having Susan Collins talk to [Sen. Thom] Tillis, [Sen.] John Cornyn to see what their conversations were to make the decision, it was like they have to stand up on their own two feet. And I think this is something that when the American people watch how senators and members of Congress operate. It makes them hold their nose because it doesn't feel like people are operating from their own standards, their own morality, their own choices and decisions about how they think the country should be run.”