News/Commentary

Another Republican is a ‘no’ for Trump pick Todd Blanche

August 7, 2026 | | Print Article

The usual GOP suspects in the U.S. Senate continue to stand guard against President Donald Trump’s America First agenda, proving to be better sentinels than the supposedly Democratic opposition.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who effectively inherited her seat from her father in 2002, joined with fellow liberal Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general, putting Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department on shaky ground.

Sounding very much like a Democrat, Murkowski explained her reasoning for opposing Blanche in a post on X.

“I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the President, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. Senators,” the RINO senator wrote.

“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration. I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case,” Murkowski concluded.

ADVERTISEMENT

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) MIA due to illness — he has been out of public view since allegedly suffering “a fall” on June 14. He announced this week that he has been released from the hospital and will transition to at-home physical therapy — the Collins-Murkowski betrayal means Trump cannot afford to lose another vote.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had threatened to block Blanche’s confirmation, but reportedly struck a deal with Blanche after he agreed in writing that the DOJ will not move forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump supporters who were persecuted for protesting on Jan. 6.

Collins solidified her deep state affiliation in opposing Blanche.

“More than 1,200 former Department of Justice employees have opposed his nomination, arguing that he has undermined the institution. For these reasons, I will vote against this nomination,” the senator said in a statement.

Social media users were quick to call for Murkowski to be replaced, but with Alaska adopting ranked-choice voting shenanigans, that’s a tall order — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Tom Tillison
Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles