Hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Todd Blanche’s nomination to be Attorney General, reporting from Politico revealed that he pledged to make sure that the Dobbs decision becomes “permanent in every single state,” a threat that goes far beyond what he said while under oath.
Yesterday, the Department of Justice confirmed that Blanche was referring to “mail order abortion drugs.”
That’s not what Blanche told senators on the committee weeks earlier, when he said he would “carefully evaluate” enforcement options under the Comstock Act, a deliberately vague answer meant to deceive senators and get him through his hearing.
Mail delivery now accounts for the majority of abortions performed in the United States. A DOJ effort to cut off that pipeline would override state protections and reach patients well beyond states that have banned abortion outright.
Blanche’s deception wasn’t appreciated by Sen. Susan Collins, who cited his secret admission to anti-abortion activists as a reason she would vote against his confirmation on the Senate floor.
Blanche can afford to lose only one more Republican vote. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy remain undecided, and both now have Blanche’s own private commitments on the record to weigh against his public testimony.
Published: Aug 5, 2026