Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, August 6th, 2026, with Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski as they consider whether to support his nomination to serve as attorney general, sources told ABC News.

Blanche's confirmation hinges on securing nearly all GOP votes, as the nominee can afford to lose only one Republican vote to be confirmed. Senator Susan Collins announced on Tuesday that she would vote against Blanche’s nomination when it reaches the Senate floor, possibly by the end of the week. With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell absent and Democrats opposing the nomination, a "no" vote from either Cassidy or Murkowski could derail Blanche’s confirmation.

Senator Cassidy expressed concerns about what he described as "lawfare" at the Department of Justice, referring to prosecutions driven by political motivations, presumably linked to former President Donald Trump. Cassidy also emphasized the need for Blanche to be seen as an attorney general serving the country rather than a personal lawyer for Trump, stating, "I've got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump's personal attorney, as opposed to President Trump's personal attorney who is now the attorney general."

Meanwhile, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who had previously opposed Blanche's confirmation over concerns about Trump's IRS immunity deal and the administration's controversial $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," voted to advance Blanche out of the committee and to a Senate floor vote after reaching an agreement with Blanche. Despite the agreement lacking language preventing the fund's resurrection under a different name or method, Cornyn said the Department of Justice has been "consistent" about its assertions that the fund is dead.

The confirmation vote remains closely watched as Blanche navigates Republican concerns and Democratic opposition.

Sources