Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Friday he will vote in favor of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination, moving his confirmation process across the finish line.
Cassidy remained hesitant to support Blanche and became the deciding vote after Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced they would vote against his nomination. The senator announced on the Senate floor that he would vote for Blanche since it is essential that a Senate-confirmed attorney general be in office.
“I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said. “I’ll be criticized for this vote, what’s new? But, the people of Louisiana can be assured that I worked hard and understand the issue and make the right decision.”
Blanche needed Cassidy’s vote to be confirmed given that Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell will likely remain absent and that two Republicans would vote against him. Every Democratic senator is expected to vote “no.”
Cassidy said Blanche addressed his concerns, which included the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and the possibility of Blanche doing President Donald Trump’s bidding. He stated that Blanche had been criticized for things that he could not control and had expressed regret over the fund.
Blanche’s nomination hung on a thread in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Republicans Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina hesitated to support him. The senators reached a deal with Blanche after he provided written proof that the fund was rescinded.
Cornyn and Tillis also demanded that language be rewritten in an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) settlement to ensure that audit immunity for Trump and his family did not extend beyond the plaintiffs.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley initially scheduled the markup of the nomination for July 30, though he postponed it until Tuesday after Cornyn had yet to reach a deal with Blanche. After the deal was reached, the committee advanced Blanche’s nomination Tuesday in a 12 to 10 vote.
Collins and Murkowski accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of becoming too political and weaponized under Blanche’s leadership, prompting them to oppose the nomination.
“While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political. Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation,” Collins said Tuesday.
(DCNF)