Murkowski to oppose Todd Blanche nomination, narrowing his path to confirmation

(CNN) — Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Friday she will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, narrowing his chances at Senate confirmation for the role.

With Sen. Mitch McConnell absent and all Democrats expected to vote against the confirmation, Blanche cannot afford to lose any more Republican votes. The nomination now hinges on how Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the most prominent GOP critics of President Donald Trump, will vote.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who’s facing a competitive reelection, has already announced she’ll vote against Blanche.

A defection from Cassidy would likely mean that Blanche would not get a confirmation vote before senators leave for August recess Friday.

Murkowski, in a post on X Friday morning, said the so-called anti-weaponization fund was a factor in her decision, arguing that the $1.8 billion fund — which was only rescinded as Blanche’s nomination was in limbo — could be brought back if he is confirmed.

“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, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”

The White House on Friday called Murkowki’s decision to vote against the nomination “disappointing,” and continued to defend the president’s pick as “exceptionally qualified.”

“While we are not surprised by Senator Murkowski’s decision, it is nevertheless disappointing, considering all the Administration and specifically the Department of Justice has done for Alaska,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement.

“Todd 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.”

The anti-weaponization fund has been at the center of Blanche’s struggles to get confirmed into the role, along with an unprecedented settlement agreement between Trump and his own administration over an IRS contractor’s leak of Trump’s tax information.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis only supported Blanche’s nomination this week, after Blanche late Sunday issued a written document that purported to rescind the controversial fund and limit the tax immunity Trump’s own government gave him from the settlement.

It came after Trump further imperiled Blanche’s nomination last week by saying he would push to get the “anti-weaponization” fund passed into law if he couldn’t garner the support in the Senate to confirm his former personal lawyer.

The fund would have offered taxpayer money to people who claimed they were victims of malicious prosecution by the federal government — including those involved with the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot.

Charm offensive

Blanche worked hard to get into the good graces of senators whose votes are crucial to his success.

For the past several weeks, Blanche has repeatedly traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with senators, the vast majority of whom are Republican. The meetings involved tense talks with Cornyn and Tillis and led to the document Blanche signed.

Blanche has also worked with senators outside the committee, like Murkowski. Blanche took a two-day trip to Alaska earlier this month, where he met with local and tribal leaders.

The department agreed to an $180 million settlement with Anchorage over unfinished work on the port of Alaska, dropped two Biden-era lawsuits about the state’s oil and gas production, dropped a $400 million settlement with a group that provides healthcare services to American Indians and Alaska Natives, and awarded $6.1 million in grants to local law enforcement, tribal governments, and nonprofits to combat crime.

Along with Murkowski, Blanche has concentrated on Cassidy, who has raised concerns about the “weaponization of the Justice Department,” including a probe into Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide and key witness in the congressional investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

It is unclear whether the Justice Department will move for an indictment of the ex-aide.

Blanche met with Cassidy and Murkowski earlier this week to address their concerns.

Cassidy has still not said how he will vote.

Murkowski says DOJ has been politicized

Murkowski in her statement said she’ll vote against the nomination because the Trump administration has “accelerated” the “weaponization” of the Justice Department.

“The politicization—even weaponization—of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it,” Murkowski wrote on X.

The Alaska senator listed her grievances with Blanche’s nomination and the Justice Department more widely under Trump.

“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.”

In a statement of her own opposition to Blanche’s nomination earlier this week, Collins cited Blanche having “taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence.”

Blanche has aggressively pursued the president’s agenda since he assumed the acting attorney general role in April. He has sought to show the White House that he can deliver results in cases the president wanted prioritized — particularly in investigations tied to his perceived foes.

In an interview with Punchbowl News filmed Thursday and released Friday, Trump said Blanche not being confirmed “would be very sad.”

“All I can say is he’s a great gentleman, he’s a great person. He’s great at what he does, everybody agrees with that,” Trump said. “If they don’t agree to do what they should do, it would be very sad. And we’ll all survive. Todd will survive.”

In the lengthy interview, Trump also criticized Murkowksi, with whom he’s had several public clashes.

“I’m against Murkowski. I do more for Alaska than any president in history,” Trump said. “No president has done for Alaska what I have done. I think she’s not good.”