Murkowski to oppose Todd Blanche, narrowing Trump's attorney general path

Lisa Murkowski said Friday she will oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, a move that tightens the numbers around President Donald Trump’s pick and tests how far Republican senators are willing to go for his Justice Department agenda.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer and the acting attorney general, already faced a narrow path after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination in a 12-10 party-line vote on Aug. 3 and the nomination was placed on the Senate Executive Calendar the next day. With Murkowski joining Susan Collins of Maine in opposition, Blanche can afford to lose only one Republican vote if Democrats hold together against him.

Murkowski had been weighing the nomination as concerns built among constituents and as Blanche sought support on Capitol Hill. He met with Murkowski and Sen. Bill Cassidy on Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C., part of a push to shore up Republican backing before the full Senate vote.

The confirmation fight has also been shaped by the Justice Department’s announced and later rescinded Anti-Weaponization Fund, a decision that became a flashpoint for senators already uneasy about Blanche’s role at the department. Collins said on Aug. 4 that she would vote against him, and Murkowski’s break leaves Senate leaders with even less margin to move the nomination through a chamber where every GOP defection now carries outsized weight.

Congress.gov lists hearings on Blanche’s nomination in the 119th Congress, underscoring how quickly the process has moved from committee review to a floor test with institutional stakes well beyond one cabinet post. The outcome will signal whether a Republican-controlled Senate is willing to impose limits on Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department, or whether party discipline will override concerns about independence at the top of the agency.