Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / Blanche Confirmation Faces GOP Defections

Transcript

Blanche Confirmation Faces GOP Defections · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: President Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche, faces a
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: precarious path to confirmation after Republican Senator Susan Collins announced
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: she will oppose him. The defection leaves Blanche with little
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: margin for error in a Senate where GOP leaders admit
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: the process remains a work in progress. Blanche, Trump's former
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: personal lawyer and current acting Attorney General, advanced out of
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the Senate Judiciary Committee by a narrow twelve to ten
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: party line vote, but his nomination has been clouded by
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: controversy over his role in negotiating Trump's ten billion dollar
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: lawsuit settlement with the IRS. That deal included a one
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: point eight billion dollars anti weaponization fund and a tax
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: immunity clause for Trump's past returns, provisions critics say could
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: personally benefit the president. Facing backlash, Blanche rescinded the fund
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: in a written order to secure support from GOP holdouts
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: John Cornyn and US S Tom Tillis. Even so, questions
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: remain about whether the fund could be revived, and concerns
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: about Blanche's independence persist. Democrats are united in opposition. Senator
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: John Fetterman joined colleagues in pledging to vote no, arguing
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Blanche has politicized the Justice Department by pursuing cases aligned
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: with Trump's priorities. With Collins defecting, Blanche can afford only
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: one more Republican loss. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana remain undecided, making their votes pivotal.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Complicating matters further, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell is absent
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: due to health issues, effectively reducing the Republican majority to
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: fifty two seats. Senate leaders, including John Thune, have said
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: they want to vote before the August recess, but acknowledged
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: the outcome is uncertain. If confirmed, Blanche would cement Trump's
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: control over the DOODA, having already demonstrated loyalty by advancing
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: administration priorities. If rejected, Trump may need to nominate another
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: candidate or keep Blanche in the acting role under the
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Federal Vacancy's Reform Act, which allows temporary service. The stakes
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: are high. A failed confirmation could weaken Trump's standing in
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: the Senate and emboldened critics of his administration's handling of Justice.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: For now, Blanche's nomination remains in limbo, with Senate leaders
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: working to secure the votes needed for approval.