RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy said Sunday that special Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) protections for President Donald Trump and his family were "totally wrong," revealing that the controversial provision nearly pushed him to vote against Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general.
Despite those reservations, the Louisiana Republican ultimately supported Blanche, Trump 's former defense attorney, after an intensive review process. Speaking on CBS News' Face the Nation , Cassidy acknowledged the issue "frankly, almost weighed to vote no," underscoring how close he came to rejecting the nominee before casting a decisive vote.
Blanche's uphill battle to be confirmed as attorney general ended with a 50-49 vote in the Senate. With GOP Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky absent due to a medical recovery, Cassidy’s vote became critical to breaking the deadlock and pushing the nomination across the finish line.
"I am realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting," Cassidy said last week, arguing that a Senate-confirmed attorney general would have more leverage to push back than an acting official.
"I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new? But the people of Louisiana can be assured that I worked hard to understand the issue and to make the right decision," he added.
The senator's remarks offered a rare glimpse into the internal deliberations of a GOP senator who publicly questioned a high-profile, Trump-backed nominee before falling in line. His concerns focused on language that narrowed the scope of IRS scrutiny for Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization.
"That's totally wrong," Cassidy said on Sunday. "No American should be targeted by the law, but no American should be above the law."
The comments carry weight because Cassidy was viewed as a potential Republican holdout. While Democrats argued that changes offered by Blanche were unenforceable, Cassidy, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger, ultimately determined that other considerations outweighed his objections. He described the choice not as black-and-white, but as "a gradation of gray," noting valid arguments existed on both sides.
The only two Republican senators who voted "no" were Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was removed from the role in April—a change Trump announced after mounting frustration over the way she handled the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Though Cassidy remained troubled by the tax provisions, he said positive feedback from federal prosecutors in Louisiana bolstered his confidence in Blanche's ability to run the Justice Department. He noted that U.S. attorneys praised improved accountability, a focus on violent crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking and healthcare fraud, and increased support for major investigations.
"There's a lot of positive things to say about Todd Blanche," Cassidy said, pointing to the need for stable leadership at the agency.
When asked by host Margaret Brennan if he was confident Blanche would uphold the U.S. Constitution and oversee future elections fairly, Cassidy responded: "I cannot predict the future, and this is not a black or white decision. But I'm confident on that."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told Newsweek in a statement: “Todd Blanche’s confirmation is a huge win for President Trump and our country. Todd is going to be a phenomenal Attorney General of the United States. The American people will be well served by his unwavering commitment to law and order.”
Blanche's confirmation process had faced a major hurdle over the Justice Department's proposed "Anti-Weaponization Fund," an estimated $1.8 billion program created through a settlement of a lawsuit Trump brought against the IRS and Treasury Department . Designed to compensate individuals claiming political targeting, critics argued the fund could benefit Trump supporters and potentially participants in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
The proposal triggered bipartisan pushback, with Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina threatening to block the nomination until the fund was terminated and audit protections were curtailed. In response, Blanche issued an order last week rescinding the fund, declaring it had "no force or effect," with no money distributed and no claims process established.
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