President Trump tore into Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) Saturday hours after the Senate confirmed Trump’s AG nominee Todd Blanche, casting aside Murkowski’s warnings that he might not be able to stop the “worst impulses” of the administration.
The president fired off three posts about the senator who nearly derailed the nomination, suggesting he has not forgiven the critic who joined the Senate in 2002 and voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial in 2021.
One missive he reposted called her a “traitor.”
The Senate confirmed Blanche early Saturday.
Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is up for reelection in November, were the only Republicans to vote against.
Frequent Trump target Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) provided the decisive vote in favor.
Trump posted a clip of former Biden AG Merrick Garland stating that he “personally approved” the decision to allow the FBI to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago – an action that infuriated the president.
It was a reminder that Murkowski voted for Garland, but wouldn’t back Blanche, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer and successfully defended him in his New York hush money trial and his classified documents case.
Murkowski’s opposition, which she announced Friday morning, might have derailed Blanche, who now serves as acting AG.
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski said in a statement. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
“The politicization—even weaponization—of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it,” said Murkowski.
But Cassidy, who was defeated in his primary this summer after failing to get the president’s endorsement, announced in a dramatic floor speech Friday that he would vote for Blanche.
In his speech, Cassidy said he was “concerned about episodes of apparent lawfare” and raised issues with the scrapped $1.8 billion “slush fund” to pay victims of “weaponization.”
Blanche signed the settlement that established it but says it won’t go forward.
He also signed an agreement that gave Trump, his children and his business immunity from the government for past tax actions. Both came when Trump withdrew his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.
But Cassidy said “even critics admit that Mr. Blanche knows the law and is a hands-on administrator,” and cited his work with US attorneys in his state.
Trump also reposted a missive by a user identified as “C3,” who pointed out Murkowski’s different stances on Garland and Blanche. “Murkowski is owned. Traitor,” it said.
The user’s profile page shows an image of Trump speaking before Air Force One, and has posts defending Elon Musk, accusing Ukraine of corruption, and defending fired former Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
