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By Anna Commander
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Todd Blanche's reported comments to anti-abortion activists appear to have cost him, in part, a vote in one of the Senate Republican conference's most closely watched decisions. Senator Susan Collins of Maine announced Tuesday that she will oppose President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, citing multiple concerns with his record, including his vow to anti-abortion advocates that he would seek to prohibit "the mailing of abortion medication to women nationwide."
Collins, who identifies as pro-choice, said Blanche's pledge was among the factors behind her decision. According to her statement, Blanche "promised an anti-abortion organization that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion medication to women nationwide"—a position that would dramatically expand federal involvement in abortion policy even after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision returned abortion regulation to the states.
Blanche has also reportedly told the anti-abortion groups he would work to make Dobbs "permanent" if confirmed as attorney general, The Hill reports.
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Newsweek reached out to Collins and the Department of Justice (DOJ) via email on Tuesday for comment.
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What To Know
According to The Hill, Blanche said, “If states have said, ‘We are going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception,’ we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that,” Blanche said. “They can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs.”
Reacting to the report, the DOJ told Newsweek, “These comments have been mischaracterized and need to be understood in their full context, which was with respect to mail order abortion drugs, not a broader expansion of federal control over states.”
In an emailed statement to Newsweek on Tuesday before Collins' stance on voting against Blanche was known, Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said: “Todd Blanche is making dangerous promises behind closed doors to weaponize the Justice Department to enact a national abortion ban. We must believe Blanche when he says he will come for our rights. Republicans are using every lever of government to attack reproductive freedom, and voters will make their voices heard this November to take our Congress back from these extremists.”
The stance against Blanche marks another instance in which Collins has broken with her party over abortion rights. Although she voted to confirm several conservative Supreme Court justices before Roe v. Wade was overturned, Collins has long described herself as pro-choice and said she felt that the decision to overturn Roe by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch were "inconsistent" with their testimony and meetings with her on "supporting long-standing precedents."
She has since repeatedly argued that important abortion protections should remain legal nationwide.
Collins' opposition also underscores the political sensitivity surrounding Blanche's abortion views. As attorney general, he would oversee the Justice Department's enforcement of federal abortion laws, including legal interpretations governing the mailing of medication abortion under the Comstock Act.
His reported commitments to anti-abortion organizations may become a new focal point of his confirmation fight, particularly among moderate Republicans.
Collins' Full List of Reasons for Voting Against Blanche
Collins listed several reasons, including Blanche's abortion remark, in deciding against confirming him. In a post to X on Tuesday night, she said, "While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political. Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation."
She argued that he authorized a directive exempting the president, his family and their business from IRS audits, a protection not available to other taxpayers. She also pointed to his approval of a $1.8 billion fund intended to address alleged government weaponization.
Collins also criticized Blanche's commitment to the anti-abortion organization to pursue restrictions on the mailing of abortion medication nationwide. She also objected to the Justice Department's attempt, under his leadership, to bring charges against Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over videos she described as constitutionally protected political speech encouraging resistance to unlawful orders. She did, however, call the videos "ill-advised."
Finally, she said, "More than 1,200 former Department of Justice employees have opposed his nomination, arguing that he has undermined the institution. For these reasons, I will vote against this nomination."
How Many GOP Votes Can Blanche Lose?
Republicans hold a 53-45 majority in the Senate, excluding independent Senators Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who caucus with Democrats.
With Collins publicly opposing Blanche's nomination, and excluding Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been absent since a fall in June, the vote count could be 51 in favor and 48 against. That means Blanche could afford to lose only one additional Republican vote, reducing the potential tally to 50-49 in favor.
If a vote were to end in a tie somehow, Vice President JD Vance, in his role as president of the Senate, would cast the tiebreaking vote.
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