Blanche Confirmation Teeters as Epstein Files and Mail-In Voting Reshape the Midterm Battlefield
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinded Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund over the weekend in an attempt to secure enough Republican Senate votes for his confirmation — only to have Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana go on television Sunday and declare he 'wouldn't bet his house' on the confirmation going through even after the rescission. A Senate Judiciary Committee vote is scheduled for Tuesday, and the outcome is described as genuinely uncertain.
The anti-weaponization fund was toxic to institutional-minded Republican senators because it appeared to pre-fund DOJ investigations of Trump's perceived political enemies outside the reach of Congressional appropriations oversight. Even after its rescission, Kennedy's continued doubt suggests other concerns about Blanche have not fully surfaced publicly. Compounding his troubles, Blanche admitted in a court filing that the DOJ 'inadvertently' redacted a name in the Epstein documents; a federal judge ordered the acting AG to turn over unredacted materials for in-camera review.
The Supreme Court is simultaneously weighing Trump's mail-in voting order, with a response deadline approaching. Changes to voting procedures implemented this close to a November election cycle risk disrupting state ballot-printing, poll-worker training, and established procedures in ways that could make election administration chaotic regardless of the legal outcome. Senate Republicans also signaled they will delay their August recess to pass the SAVE America Act voter ID bill, with Senator Lankford saying they will 'keep going' past Friday's planned break.
The Democratic financial picture remains stark. The DNC has raised just 12 percent of the RNC's war chest, with top donors described as being 'on strike' — a combination of ideological dissatisfaction and strategic hesitance ahead of the midterms. Senator Kelly, using Iran war mismanagement as his central argument, said Sunday that Democrats can realistically win back the Senate, 90 days out from the election. The Wall Street Journal editorial board has launched what appears to be a sustained campaign questioning J.D. Vance's 2028 prospects, reflecting the business-oriented wing of the Republican Party's unease with his economic nationalism.