The $1.776 Billion Shakedown: Why the Anti-Weaponization Fund and the Trump Tax Immunity Order Are Unethical, Illegal, and Unenforceable
The Senate Committee just voted to advance the Todd Blanche nomination. Here’s what you need to know moving forward
This article is commentary on matters of public concern. It is not legal advice. Consult licensed counsel about specific situations.
Today’s Vote
Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee vote advancing Todd Blanche was not the finish line, it was the handoff. That vote advanced Todd Blanche and handed his nomination to the next stage.
Here is what happens now.
Once the committee formally reports the nomination, it goes onto the Senate’s Executive Calendar. At that point the full Senate can vote on it. Senate leadership controls the timing. Current reporting says a vote could come later this week, and no date is guaranteed.
Watch the procedure, because that is where people get tripped up. If Democrats withhold unanimous consent, Republicans may need to file cloture and work through the Senate’s procedural clock. Understand what that clock actually requires. Ending debate on this nomination takes a simple majority. Confirming him takes a simple majority. Sixty votes never enter the picture.
Now look at the count. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis held out, and both now support him. That puts confirmation on track. Nothing becomes final until the full Senate votes.
Confirmation still leaves two steps. The president must formally appoint him, and that usually means signing his commission. Blanche must then take the oath. Only after that does he hold the permanent office.
Here is your bottom line. The committee hurdle is behind him. The full Senate comes next. This process wraps up in days or weeks rather than months, unless Senate leadership sits on the vote or Republican support shifts.
That is the public record.
What follows is a trial lawyer’s analysis of what all of this actually means inside a courtroom and where it goes from here. It’s more than 35 pages long. I have not seen a more detailed or exhaustive overview of this situation anywhere, and it explains exactly why Blanche and Trump will keep pushing the anti-weaponization fund and the Trump related tax immunity. It also shows you and every other American why you need to be concerned.
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