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Cassidy signals support for Trump nominee Todd Blanche as attorney general
The backing comes after months of scrutiny over Blanche’s independence and following Murkowski’s stated opposition that left the nomination on the brink.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said he would back Todd Blanche for US attorney general, clearing a path for Donald Trump’s nominee after weeks of controversy over the Justice Department’s independence from the White House, according to Reuters.
Cassidy emerged as the likely deciding vote after Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would oppose Blanche for the top law enforcement job, leaving the nomination close to collapse.
Reuters reports that the decision capped contentious negotiations between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April and previously ran day to day Justice Department operations as its second-ranking official.
Critics questioned Blanche’s independence after the department opened investigations into Trump’s critics, an exodus of career prosecutors, and statements that it acted at the direction of the president. Cassidy said he criticized Blanche’s role in settling Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, including tax immunity for Trump and his family businesses and a now-abandoned US$1.8 billion fund, but said he ultimately trusted Blanche to provide the president candid legal advice.