Murkowski opposition narrows Blanche path to AG confirmation

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced Friday that she will vote against confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general, adding to the growing list of obstacles facing President Donald Trump's nominee for the Justice Department. Her decision leaves the nomination with almost no room for further defections in a Senate where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority but must contend with the prolonged absence of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Murkowski cited repeated concerns about the politicization of the Justice Department under the current administration. In a statement posted on social media, she noted that she had held constructive meetings with Blanche and found him personally capable, yet she could not support his elevation to the permanent role. She pointed specifically to the handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and to a proposed compensation fund tied to a settlement in Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. That fund, described by critics as an anti-weaponization measure worth nearly 1.8 billion dollars, had been the subject of earlier negotiations with other Republican senators.

Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April, secured a narrow 12-10 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week after providing written assurances that the fund would be terminated. Those commitments helped win over Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had previously threatened to block the nomination. Murkowski expressed doubt that such pledges would hold once the confirmation process concluded and Senate leverage disappeared.

Her opposition aligns with that of Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who announced her own resistance earlier in the week over similar institutional worries. With McConnell sidelined indefinitely, Blanche can afford to lose at most two Republican votes if Democrats remain unified against him. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has not yet declared his position, leaving open the possibility that one additional defection could end the nomination.

The episode underscores the narrow margins that now define Senate business on high-stakes executive branch appointments. Blanche's background as Trump's former personal defense lawyer has drawn scrutiny throughout the process, with senators from both parties questioning whether he can maintain the department's traditional distance from direct political influence. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated a desire to hold a floor vote before the August recess, but the arithmetic now appears tighter than it did just days ago.

Democratic opposition is expected to be solid, and at least one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has already signaled he will vote no. The combination of Republican defections and unified resistance from the minority side has turned what was once viewed as a manageable confirmation into a test of whether the Senate can still impose meaningful checks on an administration seeking to reshape the Justice Department.