Cassidy Backs Todd Blanche for Attorney General, Clearing Path to Confirmation Despite Murkowski and Collins Defections

Senator Bill Cassidy said Friday he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, clearing what had become an uncertain path to confirmation after two Republican senators announced they would vote no.

Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, had stayed undecided for weeks while colleagues and outside voices lobbied him. He made his decision public in a floor speech, according to both ZeroHedge and Newsweek.

"Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche," Cassidy said. "It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche."

He added: "All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche. I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new?"

Two Republicans said no

Cassidy's announcement came hours after Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would oppose Blanche, according to Newsweek. Senator Susan Collins of Maine had already signaled opposition earlier in the week.

With Democrats expected to vote no as a bloc, Collins and Murkowski's defections put Blanche's confirmation in real jeopardy. Cassidy's yes appears to give Blanche the votes he needs, and Newsweek reported the decision could set up a final Senate vote as soon as Friday.

What Murkowski's objection actually says

Murkowski's opposition deserves to be stated on its own terms, not dismissed. She called Blanche "decent and capable" and credited him with "several noteworthy decisions" as acting attorney general that benefited Alaska and the country, according to Newsweek. This was not a personal attack.

Her stated concern is institutional: she says the Justice Department has become increasingly politicized, and in her word, "weaponized." She pointed to specific episodes, per Newsweek: the handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, immunity protections granted to Trump, his family, and their businesses as part of an IRS settlement, Blanche's reported comments to anti-abortion groups, and what she called the department's "repeated targeting" of people ranging from former administration officials to sitting senators.

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed."

Murkowski also raised a separate, concrete point about leverage. She said the Senate still had power over a nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund meant to compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted by the government, according to ZeroHedge. "The fund is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage," she said. "Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds."

That fund is no longer theoretical. Blanche rescinded the order establishing it on August 2, as part of an agreement with Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas that let the Senate Judiciary Committee move the nomination to the full floor, according to ZeroHedge. Blanche said the department "always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress."

Whether killing that fund in exchange for two Republican votes counts as normal legislative horse-trading or as evidence supporting Murkowski's politicization concern is a fair question. No investigation or formal review of that arrangement has been reported by either source.

Cassidy's reasoning

Cassidy told colleagues he consulted former Attorney General William Barr before deciding, according to Newsweek. Barr reportedly argued that representing a client effectively sometimes requires "tough conversations" and difficult truths, and that Blanche's history as Trump's personal lawyer could make him more willing, not less, to push back on the president when necessary.

That's a specific, testable claim about Blanche's character rather than a dodge. Cassidy is not a rubber-stamp vote generally. He has broken with his party on other high-profile confirmations in the past.

The White House cheered the news. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Newsweek: "This is great news and we look forward to his final confirmation shortly. Todd Blanche has done an excellent job as acting Attorney General and will continue doing so as Attorney General. Todd Blanche is an American patriot who has played a critical role at the Department of Justice in advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe."

What's left unresolved

Blanche has served as both acting attorney general and, before that, as Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer. That dual history is at the center of the entire fight: is he an independent law enforcement official, or is he still functioning as the president's lawyer with a badge? Cassidy says the evidence points one way. Murkowski says it points the other.

No formal ethics complaint or inspector general inquiry into Blanche's conduct as acting AG has been reported here. The Senate floor vote, expected as soon as Friday according to Newsweek, will be the next concrete data point. If Blanche is confirmed, the $2 billion anti-weaponization fund he rescinded stays dead, and Murkowski's warning about lost Senate leverage becomes the thing to watch.