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3h ago

Cassidy Announces Support for Blanche, Clearing Path to Confirmation

His vote gives the nominee the decisive Republican backing that nearly guarantees a Senate confirmation, raising unresolved legal and independence questions about the Justice Department's rescission of the $1.8 billion fund.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche departs after a meeting with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 5, 2026.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche prepares to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be Attorney General, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2026.
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Overview

  • Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche, a move that appears to provide the single Republican vote Blanche needed to secure 50 votes in the narrowly divided Senate.
  • Blanche already won committee approval in a 12–10 party-line vote after the Justice Department issued a one-page order saying it rescinded the roughly $1.8 billion fund that grew out of the IRS settlement.
  • Two Republican moderates, Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, have announced they will oppose Blanche, citing concerns about DOJ independence and Blanche’s earlier role in the IRS settlement.
  • Legal experts and Democratic critics say the DOJ's written rescission may be fragile because the original settlement could require consent from other parties, so the fund and tax-immunity risks could persist even if Blanche is confirmed.
  • If the full Senate votes before the August recess the confirmation is likely, but Blanche’s elevation would heighten scrutiny of the Justice Department’s direction and could shape how the agency handles politically sensitive investigations going forward.