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<v Speaker 1>We now turned to the nomination of Todd Blanche to

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<v Speaker 1>be Attorney General.

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<v Speaker 2>The clerk will call the.

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<v Speaker 3>Role alright, alright.

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<v Speaker 2>No no by proction no no.

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<v Speaker 1>No, no, no, no no. The nomination will be favorly

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<v Speaker 1>reported before we adjourned. I have some letters I want

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<v Speaker 1>to put in the record, uh from Uh. Well, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not going to bother read it. It's not worth worth reading.

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<v Speaker 1>At this point. The meetings adjourned.

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<v Speaker 3>Todd Blanche is now one step closer to officially serving

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<v Speaker 3>as US Attorney General. I'm Von Hilliard. As you just saw,

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<v Speaker 3>Blanche got the approval of the Judicial Committee on an

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<v Speaker 3>eleven to nine party line vote. We're now just waiting

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<v Speaker 3>for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to schedule a full

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<v Speaker 3>floor vote that could come here within this next week.

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<v Speaker 3>Republican Senators Tom Tillis and John Cornyn, you saw them there,

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<v Speaker 3>dropped their initial opposition insisting memos blanched releached released this weekend,

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<v Speaker 3>met their demands of clarifying the President's tax immunity deal

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<v Speaker 3>and puts in writing that the so called Anti Weaponization

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<v Speaker 3>Fund is dead as well. But there are questions about

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<v Speaker 3>whether that is really the case. I want to get

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<v Speaker 3>to our panel. Here at the top MS NOW colleagues,

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<v Speaker 3>Congressional reporter Michael Schnell, Senior legal reporter Lisa Rubin, legal analyst,

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<v Speaker 3>and former federal prosecutor Paul Butler is here in White

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<v Speaker 3>House reporter Jake Traylor. Michael, I want to start here

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<v Speaker 3>with the full floor vote that we now anticipate for

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<v Speaker 3>Todd Blanche. You saw Tom Tillis and John Cornan fall

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<v Speaker 3>in line, but Mitch McConnell is not at the US Senate.

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<v Speaker 3>Would it be three defections that would be required of

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<v Speaker 3>Republicans And at this point do you expect him to

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<v Speaker 3>pass the full Senate?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Vaughan.

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<v Speaker 4>Given the current breakdown of the Senate, and given the

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<v Speaker 4>fact that we don't expect Senator McConnell to be back

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<v Speaker 4>at least this week when the vote would likely happen

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<v Speaker 4>or in the next few days, Republicans can only afford

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<v Speaker 4>to lose two votes and still get Todd Blanche confirmed.

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<v Speaker 4>And now I'll say this committee vote was certainly the

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<v Speaker 4>main hurdle that Todd Blanche had to get over, particularly

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<v Speaker 4>with Tom Tillis and John Cornyn. But I would say

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<v Speaker 4>that Todd Blanche is not out of the woods just yet.

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<v Speaker 4>There still could be some complications in his quest to

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<v Speaker 4>become the permanent attorney general. That's because there are some

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<v Speaker 4>Republicans who remain on the fence and have not yet

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<v Speaker 4>said how they plan to vote on its confirmation. Top

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<v Speaker 4>of that list is Bill Cassidy, the Republican from Louisiana

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<v Speaker 4>who just lost his reelection to a Trump backed challenger

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<v Speaker 4>and has not been shy about voicing his disagreements with

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<v Speaker 4>the President. Since I spoke to him yesterday, he said

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<v Speaker 4>he had no comment on Todd Blanch. He told our

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<v Speaker 4>team again this morning he still has no comment. Bill Cassidy.

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<v Speaker 4>In the past his voice concerns about that anti weaponization fund,

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<v Speaker 4>about that audit immunity, but he's also said that he's

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<v Speaker 4>worried that Todd Blanche is going to act as President

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<v Speaker 4>Trump's personal attorney when he's Attorney General and not be

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<v Speaker 4>an unbiased, independent figure. In addition to Bill Cassidy, you

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<v Speaker 4>also have people like Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins who

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<v Speaker 4>have not yet said how they planned to vote. I

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<v Speaker 4>spoke to Susan Collins yesterday. To Lisa Murkowski yesterday, Murkowski

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<v Speaker 4>said that well, tod While this deal that Todd Blanch

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<v Speaker 4>struck with Tillis and Cornyn is a step in the

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<v Speaker 4>right direction, she still wants to learn more. Susan Collins

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<v Speaker 4>wanted to talk to John Cornyn and Tom Tillis before

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<v Speaker 4>making up her mind. So certainly a big hurdle crossed

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<v Speaker 4>today for Todd Blanche, but is not going to be

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<v Speaker 4>a cakewalk just yet, as some of those Republicans are

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<v Speaker 4>keeping their cards close to their vest.

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<v Speaker 3>Michael, you're outside of the committee hearing. I know that

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<v Speaker 3>the members you're going to anticipate walking out of those doors.

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<v Speaker 3>But Profess, it's the math accurate that it would be

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<v Speaker 3>three Republican defections that would be required to join Democrats.

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<v Speaker 4>They would only be able to lose two Republicans if

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<v Speaker 4>McConnell is still absent. In assuming all Democrats vote no

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<v Speaker 4>and there's full attendance,