Bill Cassidy Backs Todd Blanche for Attorney General, Likely Securing Trump Nominee’s Confirmation

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Friday that he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, likely giving President Trump’s nominee the support he needs to permanently take control of the Justice Department.

Cassidy’s decision became critical after Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced they would oppose Blanche. With Sen. Mitch McConnell currently absent from the Senate, Republicans have little room for additional defections if they hope to confirm Blanche.

“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this,” Cassidy said while announcing his decision on the Senate floor. The Louisiana Republican argued that the choice was ultimately between Blanche and another acting attorney general who might be less effective at running the Justice Department under Trump.

Cassidy acknowledged that he still has concerns about some of Blanche’s decisions. He criticized Blanche’s role in approving a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and granting Trump and members of his family protections related to future tax investigations as part of a settlement involving the president’s lawsuit against the IRS.

The proposed fund had become one of the biggest obstacles to Blanche’s confirmation. Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had threatened to withhold their support until Blanche provided assurances that the program would not move forward. Blanche subsequently issued an order formally rescinding the directive that created the fund.

Those concessions helped Blanche secure the support of Cornyn and Tillis, allowing his nomination to advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week in a 12-10 party-line vote. Cassidy’s announcement now appears to remove the final major obstacle standing between Blanche and confirmation.

Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since April after Trump removed Pam Bondi from the position. Before joining the administration, he served as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys and represented him in several of the criminal cases brought against him before his return to the White House.

Cassidy stressed that his decision should not be interpreted as a broader endorsement of every action taken by Trump or the Justice Department. He said he remains concerned about the prosecution of political opponents and warned that repeatedly using the justice system against political adversaries damages public confidence in American institutions.

Despite those reservations, Cassidy concluded that Blanche was the better option to lead the Justice Department. With his support now secured, Blanche appears positioned to overcome Republican defections and win Senate confirmation as President Trump’s attorney general.