Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's path to removing "acting" from his title is facing a new hurdle as a Senate Judiciary Committee vote looms, according to a new report.
While much of the focus has been on the votes of outgoing Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Politico reported Thursday that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) may be the one who derails President Donald Trump's nominee to replace fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Murkowski has emerged as an unexpected wildcard in Blanche's confirmation process, Politico reported.
The Alaska senator has held multiple meetings with the nominee but has strategically refused to reveal her voting intentions—a calculated silence that Politico labeled a "warning sign" for GOP leadership.
Trump formally nominated Blanche on June 8, and the acting attorney general has spent months meeting with senators individually.
Two separate sessions with Murkowski—one in June and another this week—suggest she's taking the nomination seriously rather than rubber-stamping it.
"Right before Blanche’s confirmation hearing last week, Murkowski said she was hopeful for 'specific follow-ups' from the nominee," Politico reported. "She noted that she had some concerns about Blanche serving previously as Trump’s personal attorney and that she was interested to hear how Blanche’s visit to Alaska went."
Murkowski, speaking with reporters, made it clear her evaluation would be substantive, not perfunctory, according to Politico.
"So I've got some follow-ons that I want to visit with him about," she said. "He was able to get out to one of our smaller, isolated villages where there's very limited public safety. [I] want to gain his impressions."
Politico argues the math is unforgiving. In the Judiciary Committee, a single Republican defection could sink Blanche if all Democrats vote no.
Already, Cornyn and Tillis have refused to publicly commit to supporting him. Add Murkowski's ambiguity, and Trump's nominee is in genuine peril, the report stated.
Murkowski has a history of "leveraging her swing-vote status" to extract concessions from presidents across party lines. Her spokesperson released a carefully neutral statement Wednesday: the senator will evaluate Blanche "by reviewing his hearing and determining whether he has the appropriate qualifications, experience, temperament, and independence necessary for this important role."
