Collins cited Blanche having “taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence,” as her reason for opposing the nomination. “While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” she said. Other parts of the Justice Department, meanwhile, have continued to press forward on matters viewed as central to the administration, including large-scale fraud cases and immigration enforcement. The Justice Department will have to grapple with the president’s longstanding accusations of widespread voter fraud, a test it so far has avoided. Once it was over, Tillis posted on social media that Blanche “is the first Attorney General who has even offered to meet with the victims.”