A key Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee expressed skepticism Sunday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will be confirmed to the position permanently.

When speaking about the likelihood that Blanche could get confirmed, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he isn’t sure a deal can be reached between Trump and hesitant GOP holdouts and that he “wouldn’t bet my house on it.”

“And if I were betting your house, it would just be a maybe,” he said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina will not support Blanche unless the Trump administration provides proof that it has formally killed the $1.8 billion payout fund for those who believe they are victims of Justice Department political persecution. The GOP holdouts have also demanded that the scope of an agreement between President Donald Trump and the IRS, brokered by the Department of Justice, to not investigate the president, his family or his businesses be significantly narrowed.

The DOJ announced the fund in May, but dropped it nearly two weeks later amid bipartisan backlash.

Blanche met with Cornyn behind closed doors on Thursday to discuss what it would take to earn his vote. Cornyn told MS NOW on Friday that his meeting with Blanche was “constructive,” but that they are “not there yet.”

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Erum Salam

Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.