Cassidy backs Blanche for attorney general, securing 50th Senate vote for confirmation

Cassidy provides the deciding vote

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana announced on the Senate floor on Friday that he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, giving Blanche his 50th Senate vote and teeing him up for confirmation before the chamber's August recess. Cassidy, a physician who lost his renomination bid to a Trump-backed challenger and will leave the Senate at the end of the year, was the last undecided Republican. His support offsets the opposition of two Republican colleagues and the absence of a third.

This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is the decision regarding Mr. Blanche and very specific circumstances. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche.

Two Republican women oppose

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced Friday on X that she will oppose Blanche's nomination, citing four concerns: the Justice Department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Trump's IRS settlement that would prevent audits of him and his family, the anti-weaponization fund, and statements Blanche made to anti-abortion groups about rolling back abortion protections in "every state."

The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration. I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.

Murkowski joins Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who announced her opposition on Tuesday, citing actions by the president's former personal attorney that she said have "eroded the Department's independence" and the more than 1,200 former DOJ employees who came out against his nomination. Both Murkowski and Collins voted to convict Trump for his actions on January 6, 2021, and both opposed the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

The anti-weaponization fund

A central obstacle to Blanche's confirmation was a fund described by Axios as $1.776 billion and by NPR as "nearly $2 billion," intended for those who allege wrongdoing by the federal government. Critics warned it could have rewarded January 6 protesters. Blanche told members of Congress in June that the fund was scrapped and formally rescinded the order earlier this week, providing a written assurance on August 2 that won over Republican holdouts John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Murkowski expressed skepticism that the fund is truly dead.

I am also keenly aware that the Department's nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund, which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters, is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage. Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds.

Narrow margin in a divided Senate

Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, but Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was discharged from rehabilitation on Thursday after a medical incident and will likely not be available for the vote, reducing the Republican count to 52. With all Democratic senators on record opposing Blanche, the nominee could not afford another defection beyond Collins and Murkowski. Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has not yet scheduled the final confirmation vote but says lawmakers intend to vote before departing for the August recess.

Democrats have accused Trump of turning the Justice Department into a political weapon. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday that Blanche continues to act as the president's personal lawyer rather than the people's lawyer. Blanche, who was hired by Trump as his personal attorney in 2023 to defend him against charges including hush money payments, attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, and mishandling of classified documents, has served as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April.