The New York Times Editorial Board issued Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche a blistering rebuke Monday in urging the Senate – particularly Senate Republicans whose congressional careers had been cut short by President Donald Trump – to reject his confirmation for Attorney General.
“President Trump has every right to select an attorney general who shares his policy views… But Mr. Trump has no right to expect that the Senate will confirm an attorney general with a track record of disdaining the law and using law enforcement as a partisan weapon,” the Times’ Editorial Board wrote.
The Times chronicled Blanche’s history within the Justice Department (DOJ) that they argued had “already damaged the DOJ,” including by launching “politically motivated” investigations into Trump’s enemies, personally signing off on an agreement to grant Trump and his family broad immunity from tax audits, and by helping craft the $1.8 billion fund to award payouts to Jan. 6 rioters.
With the slim GOP majority in the Senate, Blanche’s confirmation is far from certain. Further jeopardizing Blanche’s path to confirmation was a handful of GOP senators who have either demonstrated a willingness to buck Trump or have no reason not to, the Times noted, a list “plenty long enough to defeat Mr. Blanche.”
“The group includes three senators whose political careers Mr. Trump has helped end: Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas,” the Times wrote.
“It includes Mitch McConnell, who is also leaving Washington, and Rand Paul, both of Kentucky. It includes Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Ms. Collins is campaigning for re-election this summer by insisting that she can stand up to Mr. Trump. This nomination offers an easy test of that vow.”