Washington DC - Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche has secured enough support ahead of his upcoming Senate confirmation vote.
According to Politico, Blanche gained his 50th vote from Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy on Friday, clearing his path to his official confirmation to the role.
While speaking on the Senate floor, Cassidy, who had been undecided in recent days, insisted his decision was "not a referendum" on President Donald Trump, but instead on Blanche and "very specific circumstances."
Blanche's nomination has received pushback from politicians on both sides of the aisle who have expressed qualms over the nomination due to Blanche's previous work as the president's personal attorney.
In an X post shared earlier this week, Maine Senator Susan Collins said that while she believes Blanche is "a capable lawyer," he has become "increasingly political."
Collins listed several issues, including how Blanche is trying to shield Trump and his family from IRS audits, his support of the unpopular "Anti-Weaponization Fund," and his promise to pass a federal abortion ban.
Alaska Senator Murkowski shared similar sentiments in a post hours before Cassidy flipped on Friday, arguing that she would oppose Blanche's nomination due to the "politicization" and "weaponization" of the DOJ, which has been "accelerated" under Trump.
Murkowski listed the same issues as Collins, also adding Blanche's resistance to releasing government files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein at Trump's behest.
"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski wrote.
"I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case," she added.