Sen. Bill Cassidy said Sunday he is optimistic that Todd Blanche will serve admirably as U.S. attorney general after his swing vote salvaged his embattled nomination.
Mr. Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, said the attorney general advises the president, runs the Department of Justice and ensures U.S. attorneys nationwide are “doing their job.”
He said federal prosecutors in Louisiana have an open line of communication with the Department of Justice and are receiving the resources they need, so Mr. Blanche seems to be meeting those objectives. Mr. Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since the ouster of Pam Bondi early this spring.
“If you want a DOJ that is actually doing its job, you need stable leadership and leadership which is effective,” Mr. Cassidy told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “There’s a lot of positive things to say about Todd Blanche.”
The Senate narrowly voted to confirm Mr. Blanche, 50 to 49, to the permanent position on Saturday.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska opposed Mr. Blanche’s nomination, placing it in doubt.
But Mr. Cassidy, who had his doubts about Mr. Blanche early on, came around on him.
Mr. Cassidy said he is cautiously optimistic that Mr. Blanche will uphold election laws this November, as Democrats warn that Mr. Trump might stack the deck in his favor.
“Of course there’s always existential anxiety,” Mr. Cassidy said. “I cannot predict the future, and this is not a black-or-white decision, but I am confident on that.”
Mr. Blanche won senators over in part by rescinding an anti-weaponization fund that would have awarded money to Trump supporters, potentially even Capitol attackers on Jan. 6, 2021, who faced prosecution by the Department of Justice.
Mr. Blanche also won GOP senators over by narrowing the scope of an IRS immunity plan for Mr. Trump and his family.
“No American should be targeted by the law, and no American should be above the law,” Mr. Cassidy said of the initial IRS plan. “That frankly, almost weighed to vote ‘no.’”
