A Shift in Voting Patterns
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) announced on Wednesday that he will not support the nomination of Todd Blanche for Attorney General. The declaration, made during an appearance on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, signals a potential hardening of opposition against President Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet pick, despite Fetterman’s history of bucking party lines to confirm previous nominees.
Fetterman has maintained a unique position within the Democratic caucus, having voted to confirm approximately half of President Trump’s Cabinet selections. Most notably, he was the only Democrat to support Pam Bondi for Attorney General and provided the decisive vote to move Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin out of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. His opposition to Blanche, therefore, carries significant weight as the administration seeks to secure confirmation in a closely divided Senate.
“If you’re going to bring up Blanche, I’m not going to vote for him as well,” Fetterman told Stewart. “There are some that I would vote for, and then there are many that I haven’t because I just don’t believe that’s the right person for the job overall. I really try to call balls and strikes.”
The Confirmation Landscape
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche’s nomination on a strict party-line vote of 12-10. With Fetterman’s public opposition, Blanche faces a more difficult path to confirmation than his predecessor. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has also announced her opposition, citing concerns that Blanche’s past actions have “eroded the department’s independence.”
While some Republicans, such as Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), have moved to support the nominee following his commitment to abandon a proposed anti-weaponization fund, other GOP members like Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski remain officially undecided. The loss of Fetterman’s vote, which the White House had previously counted on in other instances, suggests that the administration may struggle to maintain the margins seen in previous successful confirmations.
Broader Political Friction
The podcast interview served as a broader venue for Fetterman to address his shifting political standing. Jon Stewart pressed the senator on his frequent criticism of the Democratic party and his alignment with the administration on specific issues. Fetterman defended his record, stating that he prefers to vote based on his personal convictions rather than party mandates, even acknowledging that his positions have made him increasingly unpopular with some segments of the Democratic base.
Regarding foreign policy, particularly the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Fetterman reiterated his steadfast support for Israel’s actions against Hamas, despite pushback from Stewart. The senator maintained that the civilian casualties, while “terrible,” are a consequence of the necessity to dismantle Hamas, explicitly rejecting the characterization of the conflict as genocide.