Republican Sen. Kennedy says he ‘wouldn’t bet my house’ on Blanche being confirmed

Senate Republican Sen. Kennedy says he ‘wouldn’t bet my house’ on Blanche being confirmed Comments: by Max Rego - 08/02/26 12:59 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 08/02/26 12:59 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) on Sunday expressed doubt about the Senate confirming acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the full-time post.

Kennedy, a member of the Judiciary Committee, noted on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) are “talking” with the Justice Department (DOJ) about a resolution to their stalemate regarding Blanche’s nomination.

“I don’t know if they’ll reach a deal,” Kennedy told host Kristen Welker. “Frankly, I think the odds are against it. I wouldn’t bet my house on it. And if I were betting your house, it would just be a maybe.”

Cornyn and Tillis, who are both leaving the Senate at the start of next year, have opposed advancing Blanche’s nomination out of the Judiciary panel due to President Trump’s continued support for the “anti-weaponization” fund the DOJ created in mid-May and dropped roughly two weeks later.

The opposition to Blanche’s nomination from Cornyn and Tillis forced Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to cancel a scheduled meeting for Thursday to consider Blanche’s nomination.

Cornyn and Tillis have vowed to oppose Blanche’s nomination so long as the DOJ leaves the door ajar to recreating the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, which the department initially formed as part of a settlement agreement in Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President Obama, reopened the case last month — citing the circumstances of the president suing his own government.

Trump said Saturday he will keep Blanche in place as acting attorney general so long as Cornyn and Tillis oppose his nomination. The president also threatened to “push hard” on a bill codifying the anti-weaponization fund, a measure Tillis said “a majority of Republicans in the Senate” would oppose.

“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis wrote on social platform X, referring to the Judiciary Committee’s next meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Kennedy also came out against a full-scale codification of the fund and specifically opposed allowing individuals convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to receive taxpayer dollars.

“We already have an anti-weaponization fund, a pool of money that you can access if you’re abused by government, through the Federal Tort Claims Act,” the Louisiana lawmaker told Welker. “But if [Trump] wants to improve it, I’m willing to look at it.

“But I’m not going to give him a blank check.”