Trump pick Todd Blanche clears major hurdle in bid to become US attorney general
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said on Friday he would back Todd Blanche for attorney general, clearing a path for Donald Trump’s nominee after weeks of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s independence from the White House.
Cassidy emerged as the probable deciding vote after Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would oppose Blanche for the top US law enforcement job, leaving the nomination on the brink.
Cassidy’s support for Blanche capped one of the most contentious cabinet fights of Trump’s second term after concerns spanning both parties over Blanche’s independence nearly derailed the nomination.
The vote was the culmination of weeks of negotiations between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration over Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April and previously ran day-to-day Justice Department operations as its second-ranking official.
Under Blanche’s leadership, the department has opened investigations into Trump’s critics, prompted an exodus of career prosecutors and declared it serves at the direction of the president, breaking with what critics said were long-standing norms of independence.
Cassidy, who represents Louisiana, criticised Blanche’s role in settling Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service by granting tax immunity to Trump and his family businesses and creating a now-abandoned US$1.8 billion fund for Trump allies, but said he ultimately trusted Blanche to give the president candid legal advice.