{"id":159805,"date":"2026-08-07T15:22:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/08\/07\/todd-blanche-threading-the-narrowest-of-needles-for-confirmation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T15:22:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:22:28","slug":"todd-blanche-threading-the-narrowest-of-needles-for-confirmation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/08\/07\/todd-blanche-threading-the-narrowest-of-needles-for-confirmation\/","title":{"rendered":"Todd Blanche Threading The Narrowest Of Needles For Confirmation"},"content":{"rendered":"

This morning started with Senator Lisa Murkowski announcing<\/a> she will vote against Todd Blanche\u2019s confirmation as Attorney General, leaving Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana as the sole remaining Republican vote standing between Blanche and confirmation\u2026 or between Blanche and the longest, most humiliating cabinet confirmation defeat since 1989.<\/p>\n

But Cassidy has not learned a thing since being snookered by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/p>\n

Murkowski\u2019s statement, posted to X at 6 a.m., was characteristically measured and characteristically pointed. She said Blanche \u201ccomes across as decent and capable,\u201d appreciated his trip to Alaska, noted several decisions she approved of, and then: \u201cUltimately, however, I will oppose his nomination. The politicization \u2014 even weaponization \u2014 of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it.\u201d She cited the Epstein files<\/a>, the IRS immunity granted to Trump and his family, the anti-weaponization fund<\/a>, and the targeting of Trump\u2019s political enemies. \u201cThe country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Murkowski and Collins<\/a> both out, and Mitch McConnell still absent from the Senate recovering from a June fall, Blanche has exactly zero votes to spare. Cue the spotlight on Cassidy, a lame duck Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger earlier this year and has spent the subsequent months demonstrating increasing independence from the administration that worked to end his career.<\/p>\n

Cassidy said yes anyway. \u201cAll considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,\u201d he said in a floor speech Friday morning<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ll be criticized for this vote. What\u2019s new?\u201d<\/p>\n

In explaining his vote, Cassidy said he weighed concerns about DOJ\u2019s \u201cweaponization,\u201d specifically the ongoing probe into Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide and key January 6 witness, whose potential indictment has been hanging over this confirmation process like a very specific sword of Damocles. Cassidy told reporters he expressed concern about what he described as \u201clawfare,\u201d prosecutions driven \u201cnot for a valid reason, but because somebody in high office is angry at them.\u201d He is not wrong that this is a problem! \u2026Unfortunately he\u2019s planning on voting for the henchman enabling Donald Trump\u2019s most vindictive streak<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen this movie<\/a> \u2014 Cassidy has absolutely been played by the administration before. He Cassidy conditioned his support for RFK Jr.\u2019s confirmation on\u00a0specific promises about vaccines<\/a>, promises Kennedy proceeded to break almost immediately after being confirmed, firing the CDC\u2019s vaccine advisory panel, cutting vaccine funding, and adding baseless content to the CDC website casting doubt on vaccine safety. Now Cassidy\u2019s voting for Todd Blanche, who called two senators liars in his written confirmation responses<\/a>, who introduced himself as Trump\u2019s lawyer at his own hearing<\/a>, who won\u2019t commit in writing to keeping the slush fund dead<\/a> in any meaningful way, and who has spent 18 months demonstrating that his primary loyalty is to one man<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Blanche will now almost certainly be confirmed before the Senate leaves for its five-week recess and become the permanent Attorney General of the United States. The slush fund will probably come back<\/a> and the Epstein files will probably remain buried<\/a>. And somewhere, RFK Jr. is nodding along.<\/p>\n

Earlier:<\/strong>The Trump Slush Fund Is Dead. Long Live The Trump Slush Fund.<\/a>
Todd Blanche Loses Susan Collins\u2019s Vote. Blame His Secret Promises To Anti-Abortion Groups.
<\/a>The DOJ Has Betrayed Epstein Survivors \u2014 New Mexico Is Suing Over The Latest Issue
<\/a>Todd Blanche\u2019s Confirmation Vote Gets Postponed Because He Just Won\u2019t Put His Promises In Writing<\/a>
Paging Dr. Freud: Todd Blanche Calls Himself Trump\u2019s Lawyer At His Attorney General Confirmation Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Todd Blanche Threading The Narrowest Of Needles For Confirmation<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This morning started with Senator Lisa Murkowski announcing<\/a> she will vote against Todd Blanche\u2019s confirmation as Attorney General, leaving Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana as the sole remaining Republican vote standing between Blanche and confirmation\u2026 or between Blanche and the longest, most humiliating cabinet confirmation defeat since 1989.<\/p>\n

But Cassidy has not learned a thing since being snookered by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/p>\n

Murkowski\u2019s statement, posted to X at 6 a.m., was characteristically measured and characteristically pointed. She said Blanche \u201ccomes across as decent and capable,\u201d appreciated his trip to Alaska, noted several decisions she approved of, and then: \u201cUltimately, however, I will oppose his nomination. The politicization \u2014 even weaponization \u2014 of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it.\u201d She cited the Epstein files<\/a>, the IRS immunity granted to Trump and his family, the anti-weaponization fund<\/a>, and the targeting of Trump\u2019s political enemies. \u201cThe country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Murkowski and Collins<\/a> both out, and Mitch McConnell still absent from the Senate recovering from a June fall, Blanche has exactly zero votes to spare. Cue the spotlight on Cassidy, a lame duck Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger earlier this year and has spent the subsequent months demonstrating increasing independence from the administration that worked to end his career.<\/p>\n

Cassidy said yes anyway. \u201cAll considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,\u201d he said in a floor speech Friday morning<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ll be criticized for this vote. What\u2019s new?\u201d<\/p>\n

In explaining his vote, Cassidy said he weighed concerns about DOJ\u2019s \u201cweaponization,\u201d specifically the ongoing probe into Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide and key January 6 witness, whose potential indictment has been hanging over this confirmation process like a very specific sword of Damocles. Cassidy told reporters he expressed concern about what he described as \u201clawfare,\u201d prosecutions driven \u201cnot for a valid reason, but because somebody in high office is angry at them.\u201d He is not wrong that this is a problem! \u2026Unfortunately he\u2019s planning on voting for the henchman enabling Donald Trump\u2019s most vindictive streak<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen this movie<\/a> \u2014 Cassidy has absolutely been played by the administration before. He Cassidy conditioned his support for RFK Jr.\u2019s confirmation on\u00a0specific promises about vaccines<\/a>, promises Kennedy proceeded to break almost immediately after being confirmed, firing the CDC\u2019s vaccine advisory panel, cutting vaccine funding, and adding baseless content to the CDC website casting doubt on vaccine safety. Now Cassidy\u2019s voting for Todd Blanche, who called two senators liars in his written confirmation responses<\/a>, who introduced himself as Trump\u2019s lawyer at his own hearing<\/a>, who won\u2019t commit in writing to keeping the slush fund dead<\/a> in any meaningful way, and who has spent 18 months demonstrating that his primary loyalty is to one man<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Blanche will now almost certainly be confirmed before the Senate leaves for its five-week recess and become the permanent Attorney General of the United States. The slush fund will probably come back<\/a> and the Epstein files will probably remain buried<\/a>. And somewhere, RFK Jr. is nodding along.<\/p>\n

Earlier:<\/strong>The Trump Slush Fund Is Dead. Long Live The Trump Slush Fund.<\/a>
Todd Blanche Loses Susan Collins\u2019s Vote. Blame His Secret Promises To Anti-Abortion Groups.
<\/a>The DOJ Has Betrayed Epstein Survivors \u2014 New Mexico Is Suing Over The Latest Issue
<\/a>Todd Blanche\u2019s Confirmation Vote Gets Postponed Because He Just Won\u2019t Put His Promises In Writing<\/a>
Paging Dr. Freud: Todd Blanche Calls Himself Trump\u2019s Lawyer At His Attorney General Confirmation Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Todd Blanche Threading The Narrowest Of Needles For Confirmation<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning started with Senator Lisa Murkowski announcing she will vote against Todd Blanche\u2019s confirmation as Attorney General, leaving Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana as the sole remaining Republican vote standing between Blanche and confirmation\u2026 or between Blanche and the longest, most humiliating cabinet confirmation defeat since 1989. But Cassidy has not learned a thing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":159806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-yIN9aC.jpg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}