Another Republican Says No To Trump’s DOJ Pick

Lisa Murkowski’s vote against Todd Blanche puts the fight over Justice Department independence front and center, and it exposes how much power one senator can still have over a nominee tied to President Trump.

Quick Take

Murkowski said she will oppose Blanche’s nomination for attorney general.
She said the Justice Department has become more politicized under Trump.
She cited concerns about Blanche’s independence and the anti-weaponization fund.
Her decision narrows Blanche’s path to confirmation in the Senate.

Murkowski Says She Cannot Back Blanche

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Friday that she will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department. Her statement landed as Blanche faced a tight Senate path, with every Republican vote carrying real weight. Murkowski said Blanche comes across as “decent and capable,” but added, “Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination.”

Her main objection is not to Blanche’s manners or basic qualifications. It is to whether he can act with enough distance from President Trump. Murkowski said the country needs an attorney general who can check the worst impulses of this administration, and she said she does not have confidence Blanche will do that. That line turns the nomination into a larger test of whether the Justice Department will serve the law or the White House.

Why Murkowski Says the Justice Department Matters

Murkowski’s statement focused on the department’s growing politicization and what she called its “weaponization.” She said that trend did not begin under this administration, but has accelerated during it. She also pointed to the administration’s proposed anti-weaponization fund, which critics have described as a slush fund for January 6 rioters. According to AP-style reporting, she argued that Senate leverage over that issue exists only while Blanche’s nomination is still pending.

In a letter reported by Alaska Public Media, Murkowski raised Blanche’s ability to use independent judgment because he once served as President Trump’s personal attorney. The same reported letter cited other concerns, including a settlement involving the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein file releases, and worries tied to survivors and new criminal investigations. Those objections show that her vote was built on several issues, not one isolated complaint.

What This Means for the Confirmation Fight

Blanche’s supporters can still point to his active outreach to skeptical senators and his public confidence about the vote. ABC News reported that Blanche met with Murkowski and other key Republicans as the confirmation fight tightened. But the supplied reporting does not show a document or statement from Blanche that directly answers Murkowski’s core fear: that a former personal lawyer for Trump may not be independent enough to lead the department.

🚨JUST IN: Sen. Lisa Murkowski will vote NO on Todd Blanche's AG nomination, dramatically narrowing his path to confirmation

"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… pic.twitter.com/OsOqj6cK3w

— Lucas Sanders 👊🏽🔥🇺🇸 (@LucasSa56947288) August 7, 2026

The wider Senate picture helps explain why this mattered so fast. Reporting said Murkowski’s “no” vote, combined with other Republican resistance, made Blanche’s margin even thinner. That is why the debate is not just about one nominee. It is about whether the Justice Department will remain a law-enforcement body or become another tool in Washington’s partisan machinery. For voters tired of government overreach, that question still cuts to the core.