President Trump's nominee for attorney general is facing a narrower path to confirmation after Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced she will vote against his nomination.
"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," the Alaska Republican said in a statement on X on Friday. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."
Murkowski said she has concerns about the "sweeping immunity protections granted to the president" and what she called the "politicization—even weaponization" of the Department of Justice.
She said another factor in her decision was the anti-weaponization fund, which the Trump administration initially said would be available to those who allege wrongdoing by the federal government. Blanche told members of Congress in June that the controversial fund was scrapped, and formally rescinded it earlier this week.
"I am also keenly aware that the Department's nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund—which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters—is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage," she said. "Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds."
GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina – both of whom are leaving Congress – initially held up the Senate Judiciary Committee's vote on Blanche's nomination, demanding written assurances that the fund was indeed dead. Blanche provided that written statement on Aug. 2.
Murkowski joins Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in announcing her opposition to Blanche.
Blanche, who is currently serving as acting attorney general, has been working to assuage the concerns of GOP senators, traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and even taking a trip to Murkowski's state to meet with local and tribal leaders.
He was hired by Trump as his personal attorney in 2023 to defend him from charges over hush money payments, attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, and the mishandling of classified documents.
All Democrats are expected to vote against Blanche's nomination. With the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Murkowski's opposition, Blanche can't lose any more GOP votes.
All eyes now turn to Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who's been increasingly vocal about opposition to the administration after he lost his renomination bid to a Trump-backed challenger.
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