Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has announced his support for Todd Blanche, giving President Trump’s attorney general nominee a likely path to Senate confirmation.
Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general while facing a difficult nomination process, with several Republican senators raising serious concerns about his conduct and judgment.
Cassidy, speaking from the Senate floor on Friday, acknowledged that his vote would draw criticism, saying simply, “What’s new?”
The Louisiana senator expressed concern over Blanche’s decision to exempt the president from IRS audits and flagged the Department of Justice’s pursuit of cases against perceived political enemies of the administration.
“A never-ending cycle of prosecuting political enemies undermines the rule of law, degrades the public’s trust in our institutions, and makes our politics more extreme,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy, who has grown increasingly vocal in his opposition to the Trump administration after losing his renomination bid to a Trump-backed challenger, was clear that his support for Blanche is not an endorsement of the president.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this,” Cassidy said, adding that the real choice is between Blanche and an acting attorney general who may not run the department as effectively.
Cassidy’s backing came just as Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced she would not support the nomination, making his vote all the more critical for the White House.
With Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky also absent, Murkowski’s opposition had threatened to derail Blanche’s confirmation, and Cassidy’s support now provides the administration with the votes it needs.
Murkowski said in a statement posted to X that she lacks confidence Blanche will act as a check on the administration, stating, “The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration.”
Murkowski cited concerns about sweeping immunity protections granted to the president and what she described as the “politicization — even weaponization” of the Department of Justice under the current administration.
A significant factor in Murkowski’s decision was the administration’s controversial anti-weaponization fund, which Blanche told members of Congress in June had been scrapped, and which was formally rescinded earlier this week.
“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,” Murkowski said.
GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom are leaving Congress, had initially delayed the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote on Blanche’s nomination, demanding written assurances the fund was permanently eliminated.
Blanche provided that written assurance on August 2, clearing one of the key obstacles standing between him and a full Senate floor vote.
Murkowski joins Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in formally announcing opposition to the nomination, leaving the White House with little room for further Republican defections.
Blanche was originally hired by Trump in 2023 as his personal attorney to defend him against charges related to hush money payments, attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, and the alleged mishandling of classified documents.
