Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday he’ll back Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche to be confirmed to lead President Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
Blanche’s prospective confirmation appeared threatened earlier Friday, when Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced her opposition. Murkowski cited concern that the administration could proceed with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, despite Blanche formally terminating it.
Also, an appeals court has ruled Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop. The U.S. Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Here’s the latest:
Cassidy acknowledges political tightrope on Blanche vote
The senator nodded to the realities of being a Republican who doesn’t reflexively align with Trump.
“Mr. Blanche has become a referendum on how people feel about President Trump,” he said. “This process should be about Mr. Blanche.” He added, with emotion, “I’ll be criticized for this vote, but what’s new.”
Cassidy criticized Blanche for initially approving a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Jan. 6 rioters, among others, and for endorsing a tax immunity deal for Trump.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect,” Cassidy said, before arguing essentially that Blanche is likely better than anyone else Trump could nominate.
Cassidy didn’t acknowledge Trump’s saying in an interview released Friday that he’d keep Blanche as acting attorney general if the Senate rejected him.
In either instance — Blanche’s confirmation or continuing as acting chief — the president could fire him at any point, a legal reality Cassidy glossed over in his stated reasoning.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued over the ballroom project in December
That came a week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing to make way for a ballroom Trump said would fit 999 people.
Government lawyers have argued that the project — the biggest structural change to the White House in more than 70 years — includes critical security features to guard against a range of threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.
“These upgrades, alterations, and improvements are essential to protecting the President, his family, and his staff, as well as the White House itself, and the entire project flows from them,” government attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Attorneys for the preservation group countered that the lack of a White House ballroom doesn’t constitute a national security emergency.
Cassidy says confirming Blanche is better than Trump picking someone else
The Louisiana senator seemingly secured confirmation for the president’s acting attorney general after weeks of Senate wrangling.
Cassidy affirmed on the Senate floor that he still worries about Trump’s influence over the Justice Department, especially the prospects of a $1.8 billion fund for possible payouts to the president’s supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But Cassidy said, essentially, that confirming Blanche is better than allowing Trump to pick another potential Justice Department chief.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump, it is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy said.
Republicans Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine had already said they wouldn’t support Blanche’s confirmation, effectively leaving his confirmation up to Cassidy.
Cassidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges in 2021. He lost a Republican primary earlier this year after the president endorsed his opponent.
Appeals court orders halt to White House ballroom construction
An appeals court has ruled President Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop.
The U.S. Court of Appeals sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the court wrote.
Sen. Cassidy supports Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Friday he’ll back Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche to be confirmed to lead President Trump’s Justice Department.
The Louisiana senator announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche’s confirmation was thrown into doubt over opposition from two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Blanche’s path to confirmation has been complicated over a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service that’s drawn intense scrutiny by Republicans and Democrats alike.
The settlement called for the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
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