The Senate early Saturday morning confirmed Todd Blanche as the next attorney general, with the nominee narrowly securing sufficient GOP backing after making a number of promises about how he would handle his tenure as the country’s top law enforcement officer. The vote was 50-49. Though confirmed along a party-line vote when he was nominated [...]
The Louisiana senator said that, despite reservations, he would back President Trump’s pick for attorney general, giving Republicans enough votes for a majority.
Lisa Murkowski Vows To Tank Todd Blanche Nomination Alongside Susan Collins
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will give remarks from the Senate floor on Friday morning announcing his stance on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) have already indicated they will vote against confirming Blanche to succeed former Attorney General Pam Bondi. With the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), it will take only one more “no” vote to block the confirmation. Cassidy, who has at times been at odds with President Trump, has thus far been mum on which way he leans. The speech is set to begin around 10:40 a.m. EDT.
One more “no” vote could sink or delay Blanche's nomination.
The Tennessee senator spoke at roughly the same time Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said she would vote "no" on Blanche, narrowing his path to confirmation.
Todd Blanche’s nomination now advances to the Senate floor, where it was not immediately clear whether he would be confirmed given that he can afford to lose only two senators on a party-line vote.
We look into the issues surrounding Todd Blanche’s confirmation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on advancing Blanche's nomination on Tuesday. With the remaining Republican holdouts now on board, he is all but certain to receive a final vote.