Bill Kristol warns Blanche confirmation could backfire on GOP

Todd Blanche, the acting Attorney General nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department, has agreed with two Republican senators to formally end the “anti-weaponization” fund, a move critics describe as a Trump slush fund. Bill Kristol, writing in one outlet, says this arrangement will likely secure a party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee and a slim confirmation on the Senate floor. He contends that the high-visibility vote could expose Republican complicity in the fund, the January 6 prosecutions, and the handling of Jeffrey Epstein documents, providing Democrats with ammunition in the 2026 elections.

Kristol suggests that, without Senate leader Mitch McConnell, a few GOP defections could block the confirmation, and that the episode may erode voter confidence in the party’s willingness to check Trump’s influence. He urges Democrats to make the confirmation process as conspicuous and politically costly for Republicans as possible.