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Blanche’s Confirmation Bid Faces GOP Defection · GNN Daily Breaking News

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  Speaker 1: The confirmation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General has grown
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  Speaker 1: increasingly uncertain after a key Republican senator announced she will
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  Speaker 1: oppose his nomination. The defection leaves Blanche with little margin
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  Speaker 1: for error in a closely divided Senate where every vote counts. Blanche,
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  Speaker 1: who currently serves as acting Attorney General and was once
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  Speaker 1: President Trump's personal lawyer, advanced out of the Senate Judiciary
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  Speaker 1: Committee by a narrow party line vote, but his nomination
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  Speaker 1: has been dogged by controversy, particularly over his role in
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  Speaker 1: negotiating Trump's ten billion dollar settlement with the IRS. That
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  Speaker 1: deal included a one point eight billion dollars anti weaponization
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  Speaker 1: fund and a tax immunity clause for Trump's past returns,
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  Speaker 1: provisions critics say could personally benefit the president. Facing backlash,
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  Speaker 1: Blanche rescinded the fund in a written order to secure
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  Speaker 1: support from GOP holdouts. Even so, questions remain about whether
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  Speaker 1: the fund could be revived, and concerns about Blanche's independence persist.
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  Speaker 1: The latest blow came when Senator Susan Collins announced she
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  Speaker 1: would vote no, citing doubts about Blanche's ability to act
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  Speaker 1: impartially with Collins defecting Blanche can afford only one more
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  Speaker 1: Republican loss. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy
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  Speaker 1: of Louisiana remain undecided, making their votes pivotal. Democrats are
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  Speaker 1: united in opposition, with Senator John Fetterman joining colleagues and
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  Speaker 1: pledging to reject Blanche's nomination. They argue he has politicized
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  Speaker 1: the Justice Department by pursuing cases aligned with Trump's priorities,
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  Speaker 1: Complicating matters further, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell is absent
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  Speaker 1: due to health issues, effectively reducing the Republican majority to
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  Speaker 1: fifty two seats. Senate leaders, including John Thune, have said
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  Speaker 1: they want to vote before the August recess, but acknowledge
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  Speaker 1: the outcome is uncertain. If confirmed, Blanche would cement Trump's
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  Speaker 1: control over the DOJ, having already demonstrated loyalty by advancing
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  Speaker 1: administration priorities. If rejected, Trump may need to nominate another
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  Speaker 1: candidate or keep Blanche in the acting role under the
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  Speaker 1: Federal Vacancy's Reform Act. The stakes are high. A failed
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  Speaker 1: confirmation could weaken Trump's standing in the Senate and emboldened
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  Speaker 1: critics of his administration's handling of justice. For now, Blanche's
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  Speaker 1: path to confirmation has narrowed considerably, with the outcome hinging
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  Speaker 1: on a handful of undecided votes.