Cassidy backs Todd Blanche, reviving Trump's attorney general bid
What's new: With Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins opposed, Blanche can now lose only two GOP votes if all Democrats vote no.
Sen. Bill Cassidy said he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, likely rescuing President Donald Trump’s nominee after Sen. Lisa Murkowski came out against him. Murkowski joined Sen. Susan Collins in opposing Blanche, citing concerns about the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, a settlement tied to Trump’s leaked tax returns and a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Cassidy said Blanche showed poor judgment on those issues but argued confirmation would give him more leverage inside the department and avoid disrupting its work on violent crime. Blanche, Trump’s former defense lawyer, has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi’s ouster in April.