Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is once again doing what she does best: giving her own party a migraine. The Republican senator announced Friday that she will oppose the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general, as Conservative Brief reported, despite calling the guy "decent and capable." Nothing says "I respect you" quite like complimenting someone right before torpedoing their job application.
Murkowski explained that she had "numerous constructive meetings" with Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense lawyer and has been filling the acting AG role since April. But apparently all those pleasant chats weren't enough to overcome her concerns about what she described as the politicization and weaponization of the Justice Department getting worse under this administration.
Her specific grievances read like a greatest hits album of controversy. She took aim at how the DOJ handled the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, the broad immunity protections extended to the president and his family and their businesses, comments made to anti-abortion organizations, and a nearly $2 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that critics have labeled a potential slush fund. Murkowski argued that the fund is only shelved because the Senate still has confirmation leverage, and once they vote, all bets are off.
Now here is where things get mathematically spicy. Republicans control the Senate 53 to 47, which sounds comfortable until you start subtracting. Mitch McConnell is out due to health concerns. Susan Collins of Maine already declared a no vote. Every Democrat is expected to oppose Blanche. That means just one more Republican defection, possibly from Louisiana's Bill Cassidy who remains undecided, could tank the whole nomination. Trump fired Pam Bondi and tapped Blanche to lead the DOJ permanently, and now his pick is dangling by a thread.
Blanche did manage to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 12 to 10 vote after promising to ditch the controversial fund, but holdouts like Murkowski remain unconvinced.
Meanwhile, back in Alaska, the senator's approval ratings are doing their best impression of a sinking fishing boat. A statewide survey from Alaska Survey Research with 1,415 respondents found only 31.3% of Alaskans approve of her performance, while 51.7% disapprove. Her favorability numbers were equally grim, with just 12% viewing her very positively compared to 32.8% rating her very negatively. Those numbers have nosedived from a nearly even 47 to 44 split earlier in the year to 33% positive and 60% negative by July 2025.
Conservatives in her state have been giving her poor marks for years, and her 2022 reelection relied on ranked choice voting and outside money that actually got the Alaska Republican Party so mad they formally censured Mitch McConnell's PAC. Her term runs through 2028, and analysts suggest that without rebuilding support among disillusioned voters, she could face a serious primary challenge in Alaska's unique electoral system.
The White House called her decision "disappointing" while insisting Blanche is "exceptionally qualified." Classic Washington, where everyone is qualified and nobody can get confirmed.
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