Cassidy Says He'll Support Blanche for Attorney General, Offering Lifeline to Trump's Nominee
Time · LC · trust 72/100
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana announced Friday he'll vote in favor of confirming Todd Blanche for Attorney General, offering a lifeline to President Donald Trump ’s nominee.
In an address on the Senate floor, Cassidy acknowledged Blanche "is not perfect," but argued no one is, and suggested another nominee may not fare any better.
Cassidy lost his re-election primary in May to a Trump-backed candidate, but he emphasized his personal relationship with the President was irrelevant.
"This process should be about Mr. Blanche and how he will go forward in a difficult job, and how the American people can be best served," he said. "I have a history with Mr. Trump, but that history does not matter one bit."
Admitting he still has some concerns regarding Blanche, Cassidy said the nominee "showed poor judgment in approving the anti-weaponization slush fund and exempting the President from IRS audits."
Blanche needed Cassidy’s support for his pending Senate confirmation after two prominent Republican Senators publicly declared they were unwilling to back him. The path toward confirmation for the acting Attorney General looked increasingly difficult in a Senate where Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority.
The Republican margin was further complicated by the weeks-long absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who remains away from public duties as he recovers from a hospital stay prompted by a fall.
In the hours before Cassidy's statement, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced her intention to vote against the confirmation of Blanche , who formerly served as Trump's personal attorney.
Despite several “constructive meetings” with Blanche, Murkowski determined she could not support the nomination , stating that while the “politicization—even weaponization—of the [Justice] Department” did not start with the Trump Administration, it has “accelerated” during it.
“I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the President, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former Administration staff to sitting U.S. Senators,” Murkowski said .
The Alaska lawmaker also factored in Trump’s planned “ anti-weaponization” fund , citing she was aware it is “only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage.”
The fund has been a point of contention across party aisles due to concerns the payouts to those who the Trump Administration claims were unfairly persecuted by the government could extend to people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Blanche on Aug. 2 persuaded former GOP holdouts Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina to support his confirmation by assuring them, in writing, that the “anti-weaponization” fund had been rescinded.
But for Murkowski, it was not enough to sway her vote.
“I will oppose his nomination,” she said . “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.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in an emailed statement to TIME, referred to Murkowski's decision as "disappointing" and said Blanche is "exceptionally qualified and should be confirmed as the next Attorney General of the United States, so the Administration can continue to keep America safe."
GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced her own opposing vote on Tuesday, saying that while she views Blanche as a “capable lawyer,” she is concerned the DOJ “has become increasingly political” and believes Blanche himself has “taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence.”
Murkowski and Collins, who is facing a tough re-election race in the November midterms, have often broken ranks with the President. In recent weeks, they have voted to limit Trump’s ability to continue the Iran war without congressional authorization.
Trump publicly criticized Murkoswki just a day before she announced her decision on Blanche.
“I am against Murkowski,” he said in an interview, when asked about the possibility of the lawmaker opposing his nominee. “I do more for Alaska than any President in history. No President has done for Alaska what I've done. She's not good.”
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