Todd Blanche Wins Confirmation Despite Murkowski Opposition.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Friday she will oppose Todd Blanche for attorney general. She joins Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as the second Republican to announce opposition.

• Republicans hold 53 seats, but McConnell is absent indefinitely due to illness.
• Blanche cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee 12-10 after pledging to shelve a $1.8 billion fund.
• Murkowski doubts leverage over the fund survives Blanche's confirmation.
• Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told reporters Thursday he had no comment on Blanche.

Why it matters: Murkowski said she is concerned about the politicization and what she called the 'weaponization' of the Justice Department, which she said has accelerated under the Trump administration.

• She cited the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files and sweeping immunity protections granted to the president and his family.
• She also named the targeting of former administration staff and sitting U.S. senators as concerns.

How 36 sources split on this story

Where they split: The central dispute is whether Blanche's written pledge to abandon the $1.8 billion fund is a durable commitment or one the administration could reverse after confirmation.

What’s next: Cassidy's vote is now potentially decisive; he has not publicly committed either way.

• Democrats are calling for legislation to permanently bar the fund, saying Blanche's order is insufficient.
• Will Murkowski cast a formal no vote or use a procedural pairing arrangement with McConnell that would keep her off the floor?
• Could Blanche offer new written commitments that satisfy Cassidy without losing other votes?
• If the nomination fails, who would Trump nominate next for a permanent attorney general?