Deputy White House chief of staff Dan Scavino predicted Wednesday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation would move “very quickly,” offering the clearest indication yet that the administration intends to seek Senate approval for one of President Donald Trump’s closest legal allies.Scavino announced Wednesday that the president plans to nominate Blanche to serve as attorney general permanently after months leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity following the firing of former Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. But if Blanche encounters trouble on Capitol Hill, a little-known Biden administration precedent could provide the White House with another option.That option centers on former acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, who remained atop the Labor Department for nearly two years despite lacking the votes for Senate confirmation. Because Su’s nomination remained pending before the Senate, the Government Accountability Office concluded she could continue serving in an acting capacity beyond the normal deadlines laid out by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Republicans blasted the arrangement at the time as an end run around the Senate’s advice-and-consent role. Now, the same precedent could benefit Trump if Blanche’s nomination becomes politically difficult or never reaches a final vote.
