Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, becoming the second known Republican to oppose him.
Why it matters: Murkowski’s opposition puts Blanche’s confirmation in jeopardy.
- With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still absent from the Senate, Blanche cannot afford to lose any more GOP support.
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has already announced her opposition, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has yet to announce his position.
What they are saying: “The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski said Friday in a 6 a.m. post on X. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
Zoom in: Majority Leader John Thune has not yet scheduled a final confirmation vote before the Senate is set to leave for its August recess.
- “We intend to vote on him before we leave, and I am hopeful and optimistic that we will get him confirmed,” Thune said on Fox News Thursday.
- Earlier this week, Blanche appeared to be on track after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination.
- Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) dropped their opposition after reaching a written agreement with Blanche that President Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund would be terminated.
Friction point: But Collins’ announcement threw the nomination’s fate into doubt.
- Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has occasionally supported some of President Trump’s nominees, has said he will vote against Blanche.
- Blanche met with Murkowski and Cassidy on Wednesday night, but neither senator indicated at the time how they would vote.
The intrigue: McConnell’s office said Thursday that he was discharged for the hospital but did not give a date on when he would return to the Senate.
- McConnell has not publicly said how he would vote on Blanche.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.
