Topline
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Friday he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, all but securing Blanche’s confirmation as Cassidy was the final outstanding GOP vote.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
Cassidy said in a floor speech Friday “Blanche is not perfect, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. 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.”
Cassidy’s decision comes after Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced earlier Friday she would vote against Blanche, because she can’t trust him to “check the worst impulses of this administration,” noting several Justice Department decisions she has opposed during Trump’s second term, including its handling of the Epstein files, immunity granted to Trump, his family and the targeting of Trump’s political enemies.
Blanche could not afford to lose any additional GOP votes without Murkowski’s support and Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., continued absence, as all Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are against confirming Blanche.
Cassidy said as recently as Wednesday he is undecided, telling SiriusXM radio, “I’ve got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump’s personal attorney, as opposed to President Trump’s personal attorney who is now the attorney general,” The Guardian reported.
Cassidy has become more openly critical of Trump since losing his primary in May after Trump endorsed his opponent, Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., and was among four Republicans who voted to curb Trump’s power in the Iran war.
Key Background
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to advance Blanche’s nomination after Blanche agreed to formally kill the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for Trump’s allies in an agreement to secure votes from two GOP holdouts, Sens. John Cornyn, Texas, and Thom Tillis, N.C., Despite Blanche’s assurances, there are concerns the fund could be revived since Trump didn’t sign an agreement to modify his settlement with the IRS that established the fund. Collins said Tuesday she would vote against Blanche, citing the IRS settlement and his opposition to restrict mail delivery of abortion pills. Blanche, who was appointed to replace Pam Bondi after Trump fired her in April, can continue serving as interim attorney general while his nomination is pending.
further reading
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Todd Blanche As AG After Initial Delay (Forbes)