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Todd Blanche’s rocky road: From the Politics Desk

YesterdayCenter Left

In today’s edition, we dig into the uncertain paths forward for Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination and the Iran war.

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Blanche Nomination on Hold--and It Could Stay That Way

RealClearPolitics - Homepage

53 minutes ago

Blanche Nomination on Hold--and It Could Stay That Way

Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have effectively stalled Blanche's nomination, and could prevent his confirmation until September - if he gets confirmed at all.

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Morning Joe cracks up at Trump for throwing Blanche 'overboard' for IRS immunity

Alternet.org

1 hour ago

Morning Joe cracks up at Trump for throwing Blanche 'overboard' for IRS immunity

The hosts of "Morning Joe" cracked up on Friday, laughing at President Donald Trump's willingness to throw his attorney general nominee "overboard" once two Republicans said they refused to sign off. Formerly Trump's personal lawyer, Todd Blanche has been serving as the acting attorney general since Pam Bondi left the office. There was a willingness to approve Blanche among Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, but one sticking point remained: a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund dreamed up by the president.On Thursday, two U.S. Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that someone at the White House is stopping Blanche from agreeing to putting the cancellation of the fund in writing.The terms Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) wants guarantee that the fund will not be started. A federal judge requested a signed agreement in court, and Blanche refused twice to sign such a pledge. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is also bothered by the idea that Trump and his family would be above the law, due to a provision in the contract saying that neither he nor his children could ever be audited by the IRS "forever.""Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski read the news about the IRS ban on audits as Joe Scarborough cracked up laughing. "Donald Trump is saying, 'I will throw my attorney general nominee overboard if my family and I can't get immunity from the IRS,' the likes of which nobody else in America has," said Scarborough. "So, what he's saying is we want to live — the Trump family wants to live by separate rules regarding the IRS than any other family in America, any other family on the planet. And he's willing to not have an attorney general, to do that. I mean, this is something." He added that the matter isn't only unpopular with Democrats, but with Republicans too. Reporter Jonathan Lemire said it's the issue that lawmakers are angrier about than the fund. Trump, he said, "made clear what his priorities are. He prioritizes the fund and the IRS protections over installing Todd Blanche as permanent attorney general."Blanche could remain in his acting role indefinitely, as he was already approved by the U.S. Senate as the deputy attorney general. As Trump discovered in his first term, having "actings" in the top spots gives him more freedom to hire and fire as he sees fit. There have not been serious consequences to Trump's use of "acting" secretaries in the first or second terms. Lemire noted that Trump's solution to the matter was to simply say he'd reappoint Blanche after Cornyn and Tillis are gone. "But problem with that plan, of course, is we have no idea what the Senate's going to look like come January," he explained. "The Republicans may have a smaller margin or perhaps be in the minority."Cornyn also made it clear on X Thursday that he and Tillis are not the only two who have issues with Blanche over the contract between Trump and the government. Calling it "self-dealing" and "corruption," Scarborough said he's "never seen anything like it in my life. This is one politician saying, "My family and I are going to get protected status, are going to get immunity from IRS audits now and in the future."Axios reporter Marc Caputo said that both the Senate and White House realize they have "a broken relationship." Trump grows increasingly angry because the Senate won't do what he demands over the SAVE America Act, the filibuster and other matters.

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Fauci fallout grows after Fifth Amendment showdown, political potty mouths on the rise

New York Post

2 hours ago

Fauci fallout grows after Fifth Amendment showdown, political potty mouths on the rise

The fallout from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s explosive Senate hearing is intensifying after the former NIH director was overheard venting about the proceedings while Republicans press ahead with contempt efforts. Also, a new study finds American presidents are using profanity more than ever before, with President Trump and former President Biden accounting for most of the...

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The Dispatch

4 hours ago

Will Blanche Be Confirmed?

Plus: Russia launches deadly attacks across Ukraine, U.S. economic growth slows, and no robot dogs on flights.

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AOC 2028: could she be the first female US president? | Politics Weekly America

US news | The Guardian

5 hours ago

AOC 2028: could she be the first female US president? | Politics Weekly America

Leftwing Democrats are having their political moment in the sun, with Zohran Mamdani in New York, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and the endless calls for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028. Has Democratic socialism shifted from the political fringe to the mainstream? And can this group lure back the all-important swing voters? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Bhaskar Sunkara, the president of the Nation magazine, founding editor of Jacobin and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality Continue reading...

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Steve Bannon predicts Todd Blanche fight could be final straw for Trump’s relationship with Thune

Washington Examiner

7 hours ago

Steve Bannon predicts Todd Blanche fight could be final straw for Trump’s relationship with Thune

EXCLUSIVE — Steve Bannon is predicting that President Donald Trump’s increasingly strained relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is headed toward an irreparable break, arguing that a showdown over acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination may be the final straw. Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and a close outside ally, told the Washington […]

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Todd Blanche can't hide behind Trump pardon on Epstein files: ex-prosecutor

Raw Story

11 hours ago

Todd Blanche can't hide behind Trump pardon on Epstein files: ex-prosecutor

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is inching closer to criminal charges, and even a Trump pardon won't save him, according to a legal expert.During an interview on Legal Breakdown, former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner dug into a new development with the Epstein files. The Trump Department of Justice handed over unredacted Epstein records to a judge on Thursday, and host Brian Tyler Cohen asked what kind of consequences Blanche still faces.Kirschner told Cohen that if Blanche handed over doctored files to the judge, he could face a "criminal investigation" and "obstruction of justice" charges.Cohen speculated, "If Trump holds true to his general ethos as it relates to law and order, he's going to dole out pardons to everybody in his vicinity," so "Todd Blanche probably does have a pardon waiting for him, especially if he's acting on Trump's behalf."However, Blanche still won't be off the hook, Kirschner said, "if Donald Trump delivers a pardon to Todd Blanche and there is some sort of showing, there's some evidence that Todd Blanche and Donald Trump were actually in a conspiracy together to cover up potentially incriminating information about Donald Trump."Kirschner explained that the Department of Justice under a future presidency can still challenge Blanche's pardon in federal court, and if a judge rules against the pardon, prosecutors can press the obstruction of justice charges."It will be incumbent upon the next Department of Justice, again once the rule of law comes back into the light of day, to march into court proudly and challenge that corruptly delivered pardon," Kirschner said.

Far Left

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