On Friday, August 7th, 2026, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy declared he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as the next attorney general, paving the way for Blanche to lead the Justice Department in a permanent role. Cassidy acknowledged that Blanche "is not perfect," but emphasized the choice was between Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not effectively run the department under President Trump.

Blanche's confirmation is expected to pass by a narrow margin, with Cassidy's support proving decisive after Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced their opposition. The Justice Department had negotiated for weeks with key Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina to secure their backing for Blanche.

During his confirmation hearing, Blanche faced scrutiny over the Justice Department's handling of over 3 million pages of documents related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his meeting last year with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Blanche acknowledged that "mistakes were made" regarding the release of some Epstein documents containing unredacted victim information.

Cassidy stated on the Senate floor, "This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche." He also warned that failing to confirm Blanche "puts at risk the progress made fighting violent crime, human and drug trafficking, and fraud," and that the alternative does "not serve the American people well."