Murkowski opposes Blanche, imperiling attorney general nomination

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday she will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, putting President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department close to defeat in the Senate.

The Alaska Republican joins Sen. Susan Collins of Maine as the second GOP senator to oppose Blanche, who is currently serving as acting attorney general. With Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky out indefinitely and Democrats expected to vote no, Blanche has little room left. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but with McConnell not attending sessions, Blanche can afford to lose only two Republican votes if all Democrats oppose him. A third GOP defection would block the nomination.

“I have had numerous constructive meetings with Mr. Blanche and he comes across as decent and capable,” Murkowski said in a statement. “Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination.”

Murkowski said the country needs an attorney general who can restrain the administration. “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 said.

She also warned about what she called the “politicization” and “even weaponization” of the Justice Department, saying it has accelerated under the Trump administration. Murkowski cited the department’s handling of the release of files in the case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and raised concerns about whether the administration’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund would remain off the table. In her announcement, she called the proposal a “slush fund.”

The fund has become a central issue in Blanche’s confirmation fight. CBS News reported that Murkowski said she is concerned the Trump administration could still proceed with a proposed fund to compensate Jan. 6 rioters even though Blanche has issued a formal order terminating it. She said the Senate’s leverage over the fund exists only because Blanche’s nomination is still pending, and that leverage would disappear if he is confirmed.

Blanche advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week on a 12-10 vote after promising Republican holdouts he would not pursue the payout fund. The vote followed a late Sunday deal with Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it was not moving forward with the $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted by the department. Blanche issued an order Sunday evening stating, “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

Democrats say the order does not go far enough to prevent the administration from reviving the fund after Blanche’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana remains a key undecided Republican. “No comment on Blanche,” he told NBC News on Thursday when asked how he would vote.

Trump criticized Murkowski in an interview with Punchbowl. He said he is “against Murkowski,” adding, “I do more for Alaska than any president in history. No president’s done for Alaska what I’ve done. She’s not good.” He also said his “beautiful MAGA base” would “not be happy” if he backed someone who voted to impeach him, as Murkowski did.

Even if Blanche fails to win Senate confirmation, CBS News reported that he can remain acting attorney general indefinitely.