{"id":35455,"date":"2026-08-10T00:30:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35455"},"modified":"2026-08-10T00:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:30:33","slug":"bill-cassidy-says-todd-blanches-trump-irs-shield-almost-led-him-to-vote-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35455","title":{"rendered":"Bill Cassidy Says Todd Blanche&#8217;s Trump IRS Shield &#8216;Almost&#8217; Led Him to Vote No"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"0\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/senator\">Senator<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/bill-cassidy\">Bill Cassidy<\/a> said Sunday that special Internal Revenue Service (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/irs\">IRS<\/a>) protections for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/president\">President<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and his family were &#8220;totally wrong,&#8221; revealing that the controversial provision nearly pushed him to vote against Todd Blanche&#8217;s confirmation as attorney general.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"1\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Despite those reservations, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/louisiana\">Louisiana<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/republican\">Republican<\/a> ultimately supported Blanche, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/trump\">Trump<\/a>&#8216;s former defense attorney, after an intensive review process. Speaking on CBS News&#8217; <em>Face the Nation<\/em>, Cassidy acknowledged the issue &#8220;frankly, almost weighed to vote no,&#8221; underscoring how close he came to rejecting the nominee before casting a decisive vote. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"2\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Blanche&#8217;s uphill battle to be confirmed as attorney general ended with a 50-49 vote in the Senate. With GOP Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky absent due to a medical recovery, Cassidy\u2019s vote became critical to breaking the deadlock and pushing the nomination across the finish line.<\/p>\n<section class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__container\" data-gtm-action=\"Read_More\" data-variant=\"v2\" data-loading=\"true\" aria-busy=\"true\" aria-label=\"Loading related stories\">\n<p><h4 class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlineText\"><span class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlinePrefix\">Read More<!-- --> on <\/span><span>News<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"4\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">&#8220;I am realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting,&#8221; Cassidy said last week, arguing that a Senate-confirmed attorney general would have more leverage to push back than an acting official.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"5\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">&#8220;I&#8217;ll be criticized for this vote. What&#8217;s new? But the people of Louisiana can be assured that I worked hard to understand the issue and to make the right decision,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"6\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">The senator&#8217;s remarks offered a rare glimpse into the internal deliberations of a GOP senator who publicly questioned a high-profile, Trump-backed nominee before falling in line. His concerns focused on language that narrowed the scope of IRS scrutiny for Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"7\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">&#8220;That&#8217;s totally wrong,&#8221; Cassidy said on Sunday. &#8220;No American should be targeted by the law, but no American should be above the law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"8\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">The comments carry weight because Cassidy was viewed as a potential Republican holdout. While Democrats argued that changes offered by Blanche were unenforceable, Cassidy, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger, ultimately determined that other considerations outweighed his objections. He described the choice not as black-and-white, but as &#8220;a gradation of gray,&#8221; noting valid arguments existed on both sides.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"10\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">The only two Republican senators who voted &#8220;no&#8221; were Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"11\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was removed from the role in April\u2014a change Trump announced after mounting frustration over the way she handled the Jeffrey Epstein files.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__container\">\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__imageContainer\" style=\"padding-bottom:66.6667%\"><img id=\"12301918\" alt=\"Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after he announced he vote for Todd Blanche to be attorney general on August 7. (Tom Williams\/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)\" caption=\"UNITED STATES - AUGUST 7: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after he announced he vote for Todd Blanche to be attorney general on Friday, August 7, 2026. (Tom Williams\/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)\" captionoverride=\"Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after he announced he vote for Todd Blanche to be attorney general on August 7. (Tom Williams\/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sourceimage=\"AP Photos\" sources=\"[]\" blockindex=\"13\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"8346\" height=\"5564\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 640px) 680px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-concessions-from-blanche-and-support-from-prosecutors\" class=\"Heading-module-scss-module__qpyFFW__blockHeading\" style=\"background-color:inherit;color:inherit\">Concessions From Blanche and Support From Prosecutors<\/h2>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"15\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Before the vote, Blanche sought to address congressional concerns by rescinding an order that established an anti-weaponization fund and issuing a statement limiting the scope of the Trump-related IRS protections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"16\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Though Cassidy remained troubled by the tax provisions, he said positive feedback from federal prosecutors in Louisiana bolstered his confidence in Blanche&#8217;s ability to run the Justice Department. He noted that U.S. attorneys praised improved accountability, a focus on violent crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking and healthcare fraud, and increased support for major investigations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"17\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of positive things to say about Todd Blanche,&#8221; Cassidy said, pointing to the need for stable leadership at the agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"18\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">When asked by host Margaret Brennan if he was confident Blanche would uphold the U.S. Constitution and oversee future elections fairly, Cassidy responded: &#8220;I cannot predict the future, and this is not a black or white decision. But I&#8217;m confident on that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"19\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told <em>Newsweek<\/em> in a statement: \u201cTodd Blanche\u2019s confirmation is a huge win for President Trump and our country. Todd is going to be a phenomenal Attorney General of the United States. The American people will be well served by his unwavering commitment to law and order.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-was-the-anti-weaponization-fund\" class=\"Heading-module-scss-module__qpyFFW__blockHeading\" style=\"background-color:inherit;color:inherit\">What Was the Anti-Weaponization Fund?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"22\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">Blanche&#8217;s confirmation process had faced a major hurdle over the Justice Department&#8217;s proposed &#8220;Anti-Weaponization Fund,&#8221; an estimated $1.8 billion program created through a settlement of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/lawsuit\">lawsuit<\/a> Trump brought against the IRS and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/treasury-department\">Treasury Department<\/a>. Designed to compensate individuals claiming political targeting, critics argued the fund could benefit Trump supporters and potentially participants in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"23\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\">The proposal triggered bipartisan pushback, with Republican Senators <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/john-cornyn\">John Cornyn<\/a> of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina threatening to block the nomination until the fund was terminated and audit protections were curtailed. In response, Blanche issued an order last week rescinding the fund, declaring it had &#8220;no force or effect,&#8221; with no money distributed and no claims process established.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__container\">\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__imageContainer\" style=\"padding-bottom:66.66%\"><img id=\"12301917\" alt=\"Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche looks at journalists as he sits in the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol on August 5. (Francis Chung\/POLITICO via AP Images)\" caption=\"Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche looks at journalists as he sits in the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 5, 2026. He was departing a meeting with Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). (Francis Chung\/POLITICO via AP Images)\" captionoverride=\"Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche looks at journalists as he sits in the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol on August 5. (Francis Chung\/POLITICO via AP Images)\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sourceimage=\"AP Photos\" sources=\"[]\" blockindex=\"25\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"5000\" height=\"3333\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 640px) 680px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26217782848092.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"26\" articletitle=\"Bill Cassidy Explains Why He Backed Todd Blanche After Near \u2018No\u2019 Vote\" id=\"artend_links\"><em>Contact Newsweek editors for this story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mailto:s.mollman@newsweek.com\">Steve Mollman<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mailto:a.murray@newsweek.com\">Anthony Murray<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy said Sunday that special Internal Revenue Service (IRS) protections for President Donald Trump and his family were &#8220;totally wrong,&#8221; revealing that the controversial provision nearly pushed him to vote against Todd Blanche&#8217;s confirmation as attorney general. Despite those reservations, the Louisiana Republican ultimately supported Blanche, Trump&#8216;s former defense attorney, after an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26219603547242.jpg?w=1200&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}