Bill Cassidy

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, announced Friday he'll support Todd Blanche for attorney general, likely providing the final vote needed for the acting attorney general to win confirmation to the permanent post.

Republicans hold just a 53-47 edge in the Senate. All Democrats are expected to oppose Blanche, and several GOP votes are already in jeopardy for Blanche’s confirmation.

So, Cassidy’s support should prove crucial in reaching the 50 votes needed to put Vice President JD Vance in position to break the tie in the Senate.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, has missed Senate votes due to health problems. And GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine, have announced they’ll oppose Blanche’s confirmation.

Blanche has served in an acting attorney general role since Pam Bondi was removed from the position earlier this year. But his confirmation has been held up over concerns about his role in approving an IRS litigation settlement that shielded President Donald Trump and certain family members from audits, as well as the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate people who claimed they had been unjustly investigated or prosecuted by the federal government.

Blanche won over some GOP holdouts in the Senate days ago with an order terminating the "anti-weaponization fund," though Cassidy’s vote was still in question until Friday.

Cassidy has had friction with Trump, who endorsed a challenger before Cassidy lost his reelection bid in the primary.

And Cassidy said the Blanche nomination for attorney general has become a “referendum on how people feel about President Trump.”

But Cassidy said the confirmation process should be about Blanche, not Trump.

“I have a history with ... Mr. Trump, but that history does not matter one bit,” Cassidy said in a speech on the Senate floor.

Cassidy said he’s spoken numerous times with Blanche over the last several days. And the senator said he’s picked the brains of other concerned colleagues, as well as former Attorney General Bill Barr and a pair of federal prosecutors in his home state.

Cassidy said the U.S. attorneys from Louisiana he spoke with, David Courcelle and Kurt Wall, both expressed support for Blanche.

And Cassidy said Barr gave him an endorsement of Blanche.

“(Barr) said Mr. Blanche will run the department as effectively as anyone can under President Trump,” Cassidy said. “Some have called that faint praise. I don't think that it is. I think it is a reality.”

Cassidy said Blanche “showed poor judgment” with the Trump IRS deal and the "anti-weaponization fund.”

“No American should be unfairly targeted by the law, but no American should be above the law,” Cassidy said. “Mr. Blanche said these were mistakes, and he has made efforts to kill the slush fund.”

And Cassidy expressed concerns about this and past administrations leveraging the power of the Justice Department to go after political enemies.

But he also praised Blanche as a “hands-on administrator” who supports his prosecutors and focuses on fighting violent crime, human and drug trafficking, and fraud in programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Blanche “is not perfect,” Cassidy said.

“But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche,” the senator said. “It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.”