Senate Judiciary GOP schedules new vote on Todd Blanche as attorney general nominee

Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will try again to move Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, out of committee after a prior effort, The Washington Times reported. The outlet said a committee vote is scheduled for Tuesday, setting up another test of whether the nomination can proceed toward a full Senate floor consideration.

Blanche is the nominee for the top Justice Department role, and the committee’s action would determine whether the nomination advances with a recommendation from the Judiciary Committee. If the nomination advances, it would allow the Senate leadership to determine whether and when to schedule a broader vote on the nomination.

The Judiciary Committee is chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham, and the Washington Times report described the GOP-led effort as a do-over on the committee vote rather than a final resolution of the nomination. The outlet framed the upcoming step as part of a procedural process for moving federal nominations forward through the Senate.

Senate confirmation typically involves both committee consideration and subsequent action by the full chamber. Committee votes are often treated as a key checkpoint, especially for high-profile executive-branch posts, because they can affect how quickly a nomination reaches the floor and what issues senators have an opportunity to press during the committee process.

At this stage, an official committee schedule or roll-call record confirming the Tuesday vote date and any prior committee action was not included in the materials provided for this draft. The report therefore remains outlet-confirmed for scheduling, pending official verification from Senate or committee records.

Because the nomination concerns the attorney general position, any committee-level movement would affect the timing of when the Justice Department could fill the role. Until Senate confirmation, the department continues under whatever interim leadership arrangements are in place for the attorney general’s authorities and oversight responsibilities.

The next procedural step is the Judiciary Committee vote itself. If the committee advances Blanche, the nomination would move closer to full Senate consideration; if it does not, the nomination would remain stalled at the committee level and would likely require additional scheduling or political negotiations to change its status.