Todd Blanche faces one of his biggest hurdles this week in his path to become President Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Although Republicans hold control of the Senate and the committee in charge of advancing his nomination, Blanche’s confirmation is not yet assured, particularly after fielding bipartisan backlash for helping Trump roll out a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate the president’s allies.
If confirmed, Blanche — who served as the Justice Department’s second-in-command under former Attorney General Pam Bondi — will help steer enforcement of the nation’s environmental laws and defend the Trump administration’s climate rollbacks.
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to advance Blanche to the floor. There, his fate may rest in the hands of two Republicans on the panel — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who have clashed with the White House.
