Cassidy supports Todd Blanche, Trump’s embattled attorney general pick

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Friday he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, giving President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee a crucial vote after two other Senate Republicans announced their opposition.

Cassidy’s support appears to give Blanche the 50 votes he needs for confirmation, assuming no other Republicans defect. Republicans hold 53 seats, but Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have said they will vote against Blanche, while Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., remains absent from the Senate — leaving Blanche with exactly 50 Republican votes.

Cassidy had emerged as the pivotal vote after Murkowski announced Friday morning she would oppose Blanche, citing concerns about the politicization of the Justice Department and its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump,” Cassidy said on the Senate floor Friday. “It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances.”

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney who is serving as acting attorney general, has faced resistance from several Republicans over his leadership of the Justice Department and questions about its independence from the White House.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., ultimately agreed to support Blanche after he provided assurances that a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund created as part of a settlement in Trump’s lawsuit over the leak of his tax records had been rescinded and clarified the scope of an agreement shielding Trump and members of his family from certain tax audits.

Tillis had also pressed Blanche to meet with Epstein survivors amid scrutiny of the Justice Department’s handling of the files. Blanche later met privately with a group of survivors following his confirmation hearing.

Before Cassidy announced his decision, a group of Epstein survivors sent him a letter urging him to oppose Blanche and asking to meet with him.

The survivors accused the Justice Department under Blanche of exposing survivors’ identities and images while withholding the names of alleged abusers and enablers.

Neither Cassidy nor his staff met with the group before he announced his decision, according to the survivors, MS NOW reported.

The letter, signed by more than a dozen survivors, also argued Blanche showed no remorse during his own meeting with survivors and gave them no indication that he planned to pursue additional investigative leads or accountability beyond Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Cassidy said he was “not entirely satisfied” with where matters stood and expected he could have additional concerns about the department in the future. But he argued that Trump could be “unrelenting” regardless of who held the job, making it more important to have a Senate-confirmed attorney general with greater standing to push back on the president.

Cassidy also pointed to positive reviews of Blanche’s management of the department from current and former prosecutors he consulted, saying critics acknowledged that Blanche knew the law and was a hands-on administrator.

“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this,” Cassidy said. But, he argued, the choice was between Blanche and another acting attorney general who might not run the department as effectively.

Cassidy has his own complicated history with Trump. He was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial in 2021. In May, Cassidy lost his Republican primary after Trump backed Rep. Julia Letlow, one of his challengers.

Cassidy appeared to grow emotional near the end of his speech as he announced his decision.

“All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said. “I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new?” He added that he had “worked hard to understand the issue and to make the right decision.”