President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Justice Department — his former personal defense attorney Todd Blanche, who is currently serving as Acting Attorney General — has reportedly reached a deal with two Republican senators. Blanche has agreed to sign off on an agreement that would officially rescind the "anti-weaponization" fund — a mechanism critics have described as little more than a Trump slush fund.

Conservative commentator Bill Kristol, a veteran Republican strategist who served in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations before becoming a prominent Never Trump voice, writing in The Bulwark, cautioned that moving forward with Blanche's confirmation represents a worse outcome for Republicans than opposing the nominee.

"These assurances will presumably be enough for Blanche to make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday on a straight party-line vote. He's then likely — though not certain — to get the 50 votes he'll need to be confirmed by the whole Senate, probably at the end of the week," Kristol wrote.

Kristol characterized Blanche as another "lemon" in Trump's Cabinet but suggested Democrats could turn the situation to their advantage. The nomination fight comes at a time when the Justice Department's independence has been a flashpoint in national politics, with Democrats and some former Republican officials raising alarms about the department's direction under Trump's leadership.

"Trump's polls have been sinking. Republicans are almost certain to lose the House this fall, and the Senate majority is up for grabs," Kristol said. "Democratic control of both houses would help check Trump's authoritarian schemes. And the fact that the entire Senate Republican conference will have to cast a high-visibility vote to confirm Todd Blanche can help in turning the Senate Democratic."

If the Blanche nomination reaches a full Senate vote, Republicans — without Senator Mitch McConnell — can afford no more than two defections to secure passage. Given the closeness of the upcoming election, Kristol suggested some Republican senators might be willing to defy Trump's demands.

"It's possible there will be a revolt among a few GOP senators against this man who sought to shovel taxpayer money to the January 6th assailants, who has initiated and presided over blatantly political prosecutions and who was at the very center of the Jeffrey Epstein coverup," Kristol said.

On the matter of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, Kristol quoted Epstein survivor Dani Bensky, who wrote last week: "You can't say that you want to make sure that sex offenders and sex traffickers are behind bars and then vote for him. Every vote for Blanche is really a vote against survivors."

While a failed confirmation would be an "embarrassment" for Trump, Kristol argued that even if Blanche is confirmed, "it could do more damage to Republicans." A confirmation vote, he contended, would provide voters with evidence that Trump intends to keep the Epstein files hidden and that the GOP-led Senate has no intention of serving as a check on presidential power.

Kristol called on Democrats to make the coming week "as visible and painful for the GOP as possible" and to drive home the message that "a Republican Senate will never stand up to Trump."