Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces she will vote against Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Friday she will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general. Murkowski cited a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" — which was rescinded while Blanche's nomination was in limbo — as a factor in her decision, saying she lacked confidence that Blanche would check the administration's worst impulses. Separately, Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn had previously placed holds on the nomination but lifted them, allowing it to advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Two sources · Thin corroboration
Sen. Lisa Murkowski's announcement Friday that she would oppose Todd Blanche's nomination to lead the Justice Department tightened an already narrow path to confirmation. CNN reported that with Sen. Mitch McConnell absent from the Senate, Blanche cannot afford to lose any additional Republican votes, and the nomination now hinges on how Sen. Bill Cassidy, described as one of the most prominent GOP critics of President Donald Trump, will vote.
Murkowski explained her opposition in a statement quoted by CNN: "The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration. I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case." She pointed specifically to the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, arguing it could be reinstated if Blanche is confirmed.
Blanche's path to committee had already been complicated. The Washington Examiner reported that Sens. Tillis and Cornyn had lifted their holds on the nomination, clearing it through the Judiciary Committee after a period in which the nomination was described as being in limbo.