President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice is already facing headwinds among Senate Republicans that could derail, or outright torpedo, his confirmation process. And the process to either confirm or deny acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi is already underway in the Senate, with Trump officially sending his nomination to the upper chamber on Monday. Blanche’s involvement in the controversial, now-defunct $2 billion anti-weaponization fund, and his actions surrounding the Jan.6 Capitol Hill rioters are two key breaking points for some Senate Republicans. TRUMP EYES NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL AS KEY GOP SENATOR SIGNALS POTENTIAL ROADBLOCKActing Attorney General Todd Blanche arrives for a House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Committee Subcommittee hearing in the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2026.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)His first challenge will be getting through the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Sen.Thom Tillis, R-N.C., could be the pivotal vote that would make or break his confirmation.Tillis was vehemently opposed to the anti-weaponization fund, going so far as to offer an amendment to divert the money to the nation’s anti-fraud fund and voting with Senate Democrats every step of the way to ensure there was no chance the move could be made again. But for Tillis, Blanche’s comments and actions about the Jan.
6 rioters are his main "circuit breaker." "They better not have said for one minute that the people who beat up police officers, like these right down here, were righteous people," Tillis said."You come even close to saying that, you don’t have a [chance] of getting my vote in Judiciary."WATCH: DEM SENATOR SNAPS AFTER ACTING AG BLANCHE ACCUSES HIM OF 'OBVIOUSLY LYING' IN HEATED EXCHANGEThe skepticism about Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer before making the leap to the DOJ, extends beyond Tillis ...