Murkowski refuses to back Blanche for AG, leaving fate to Cassidy

Alaska's Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski announced Friday that she will vote against the confirmation of Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general, pushing the embattled nomination to the brink. With Maine's Susan Collins already opposed, the fate of Blanche, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and current acting attorney general, now rests in the hands of Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, the only undecided Republican remaining.

A confirmation on the edge

The Senate is racing to resolve Blanche's nomination before the chamber leaves for a five-week August recess beginning this weekend. Murkowski's decision came as a significant blow to the White House, which had hoped to lock in the appointment of a loyalist to lead the Department of Justice. Cassidy, who has not yet declared how he will vote, now becomes the single decisive voice on whether Blanche will be confirmed.

Sources close to the negotiation say Cassidy is under intense pressure from both the administration and critics of Blanche. A vote against Blanche by Cassidy would mean the nomination is defeated, as all Democrats are expected to oppose him. The narrow Republican majority makes the vote an all-or-nothing calculation.

Murkowski's concern over the January 6 fund

Murkowski's opposition stems from her worry that Blanche's assurances about a controversial fund for January 6 rioters cannot be trusted. That fund, a $1.8 billion administration initiative called the “anti-weaponization” fund, was designed to compensate political allies who had been “targeted” by the Justice Department, including individuals involved in the Capitol attack.

Blanche had persuaded the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance his nomination in a 12-10 vote only after promising Republican holdouts that he would terminate the fund. He issued a formal order ending it on Sunday, following weeks of negotiations with Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn. But Murkowski and other critics argue that the move was a hollow concession that could easily be reversed by Trump or a future attorney general.

In a statement posted on X, Murkowski praised Blanche as a person but said she could not support him. She echoed a sentiment she expressed earlier in the week, insisting that the country needs an attorney general who will check the worst impulses of this administration. “I simply do not have confidence that will be the case,” she wrote, according to her public statement. Blanche had previously confirmed in writing that the fund was dead, but experts note that presidential pressure could resurrect it without congressional approval.

Trump's pressure campaign and grudges

President Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, acknowledged the fraying relationships with Republican critics. Asked whether he would reach out to Murkowski or Cassidy to save the vote, Trump said he would if necessary, but warned that “anybody voting against [Blanche] would be doing a great disservice to the country.” He claimed there was “unbelievable respect” for Blanche and expressed hope that outreach would be unnecessary.

The president also made clear he has not forgiven the GOP senators who voted to convict him after the January 6 riot. Both Murkowski and Cassidy were among the handful of Republicans who did so in his 2021 impeachment. “Look, I don’t regret it. You do what you have to do,” Trump told Punchbowl News. “And just so you understand, they voted to impeach me ... In all fairness, you think that I’m going to support somebody that voted to impeach me?”

This personal dimension complicates any last-minute negotiation. Trump has shown willingness to punish political adversaries, and his clash with these senators is deeply rooted in the events of January 6, 2021.

What happens next

Cassidy is now the center of a political storm. If he votes with Murkowski and Collins, Blanche would be unexpectedly rejected, forcing the Trump administration to name a new attorney general just before the recess. If he votes yes, Blanche would be confirmed with the narrowest possible margin, but the fissures within the Republican coalition would remain exposed.

The outcome will also send a signal about the Senate's willingness to assert its independence from the White House. For Murkowski, the fight is about the rule of law and the integrity of the Justice Department. For the administration, it is a test of loyalty. With the clock ticking, all eyes are on Cassidy as the Senate prepares to vote in the coming days.