Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. The confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general is turning out to be a real circus. It seems like there are two potential roadblocks to his confirmation: GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas. Either one of them could block it by voting against him in the Senate Judiciary Committee. I mean, it’s not like they have a lot of power or anything, but still, it’s something. And let’s be real, these guys are not running for reelection, so they can basically do whatever they want at this point.
I’m reading through this article, and I come across the fact that over 400 pages of written responses from Blanche to senators have been released. And let me tell you, it’s a treasure trove of information. Apparently, Blanche is more concerned about Cornyn than Tillis, but he’s not giving either of them everything they want just yet. Bless their hearts.
One of the most interesting parts of the article is when Blanche is asked about a series of ugly comments from Mike Davis, a former Republican staffer on the committee. Blanche repeatedly responds by saying Davis’ words aren’t his own, but he does explicitly reject one of Davis’ comments – his criticism of Cornyn. When asked if he agrees with Davis’ statement that Cornyn is “out-of-touch,” Blanche responds with a simple “No.” Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, I’m sure.
The article also talks about the highly controversial settlement between President Donald Trump’s lawyers and the government, which created a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and gave Trump, his family, or businesses immunity from past tax issues. Blanche said in his testimony last week that the fund was “dead,” but in his written responses, he confirms that Trump’s immunity deal is still in effect. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
It seems like Cornyn is still working with the administration to get the settlement amended to address both the “anti-weaponization” fund and the immunity deal. And Blanche’s noncommittal response to whether he would withdraw the immunity deal is just classic. He says it would be “inappropriate for me to comment on internal deliberations that may or may not have occurred.” Yeah, because that’s not a dodge at all.
The article also mentions that Blanche seems to run afoul of another of Tillis’ early concerns: DOJ’s independence from the presidency. In a CNN interview last month, Tillis said he was positively predisposed toward Blanche, but he quickly added that “if there’s even a whiff of a lack of independence, then that could influence my vote.” And let’s just say that Blanche has certainly seemed to provide that whiff.
In his written responses, Blanche repeatedly responds to questions about DOJ independence by noting that the department is part of the executive branch. And when asked if he stood by a statement he made on Steve Bannon’s podcast that “there’s this model out there that somehow the Department of Justice is independent from the president of the United States. That is not true,” Blanche responds with a simple “Yes.” Yeah, because that’s not a red flag or anything.
As of now, it seems like Tillis is still on the fence about Blanche’s nomination. He’s said some nice things about him, but he’s also expressed some concerns. And with over two dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein writing to both Cornyn and Tillis urging them to reject Blanche’s nomination, it’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
In conclusion, the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general is turning out to be a real drama-filled affair. With Cornyn and Tillis holding out for more information and concessions, it’s anyone’s guess how this will end. But one thing’s for sure – it’s going to be a wild ride. And I’ll be here, sipping my coffee and enjoying the show. After all, as they say, “the show must go on,” and boy, is it ever going to be a show.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
