In a move that shocked absolutely nobody who has followed her career for more than eleven minutes, Senator Susan Collins of Maine announced on Tuesday that she will not be voting to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the permanent gig. As Trending Politics reported, this tightens the already slim margin Republicans have in the Senate for getting their guy through.
Collins took to X to explain her reasoning, acknowledging that Blanche is a "capable lawyer" before proceeding to list all the reasons she thinks he should not run the Department of Justice. It is the political equivalent of telling someone they have a great personality right before dumping them.
Among her grievances: Blanche apparently greenlit an order shielding Trump, his sons, and the family business from IRS audits, which Collins noted is a perk unavailable to the rest of us peasants. He also approved the creation of a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and reportedly promised a pro-life organization he would pursue a nationwide ban on mailing abortion medication. Oh, and under his watch, the DOJ tried to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over videos encouraging resistance to unlawful orders, something Collins described as constitutionally protected speech.
She also name-dropped the more than 1,200 former DOJ employees who have opposed the nomination, which is a pretty long list of people who think this is a bad idea.
Now here is the delicious part. Collins voted to confirm Merrick Garland as Biden's Attorney General but apparently never raised any concerns about the DOJ becoming politicized when that administration was indicting its main political rivals. Funny how that works.
Blanche's confirmation hearings took place on July 15 and 16, 2026, and they were not exactly smooth sailing. Republican Senators Tillis and Cornyn both raised concerns about a settlement agreement between the DOJ and Trump related to a lawsuit he filed against the IRS. That settlement created a $1.776 billion fund designed to compensate people who were allegedly targeted by politically motivated prosecutions under Biden, including January 6 protesters and pro-life activists. After weeks of negotiation, Tillis and Cornyn reached a deal with the administration over the weekend and agreed to move the nomination forward.
As of now, Collins stands alone among Republican senators in firmly opposing the confirmation. Senator John Curtis of Utah, who was previously considered a potential holdout, announced he would vote yes. Meanwhile, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana have questioned parts of Blanche's record but are keeping their cards close, refusing to reveal how they will vote.
So the math still technically works for Republicans, but it is tight enough that everyone in Senate leadership is probably stress-eating right now. Welcome to another episode of "Will Susan Collins Ruin Everything," a show that has been running for decades with no signs of cancellation.
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