Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she plans to vote against Todd Blanche for Attorney General, becoming the first Republican to reject President Donald Trump’s nomination.

Concerns Over Department of Justice

Collins expressed concerns that the U.S. Department of Justice has become increasingly political under Blanche’s leadership. She cited his actions as acting attorney general, including approval of an order to shield Trump, his sons, and his family business from financial scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service.

Collins also mentioned Blanche’s approval of the creation of a $1.8 billion fund, which Democrats and other critics have called a taxpayer-funded slush fund. Additionally, Blanche’s pledges to block an anti-abortion group from distributing abortion medication and his push to indict Democrats contributed to Collins’s opposition.

More than 1,200 former Department of Justice employees have opposed his nomination, arguing that he has undermined the institution. Collins has opposed other Trump nominations, including Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary and Kash Patel for director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Uncertain Vote

Two other key GOP senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, remain undecided on Blanche’s nomination. If either of them joins Collins and other Democratic lawmakers in voting against Blanche’s confirmation, it could derail the nomination.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.