Anti-Trump Republican senator vows to fight Todd Blanche's confirmation — because of course she will



U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — a nominal Republican up for re-election in 2028 — appears desperate to undermine the MAGA agenda and prevent President Donald Trump from getting his ducks in a row.

Murkowski — who in recent months repeatedly voted against funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection; voted to reign in Trump's war powers; voted to block Trump's tariffs; voted unsuccessfully to keep taxpayers on the hook for USAID and other foreign funding; voted against multiple Trump nominees, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao; campaigned against the SAVE America Act; and complained with Democrats about ex-FBI Director James Comey's indictment — revealed Friday she will vote against Todd Blanche's confirmation for attorney general.

'She’s not good.'

With the continued absence of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), this effectively means that the fate of Blanche's confirmation could be decided by Bill Cassidy — a U.S. senator whose hopes of a third term Trump helped dash in Louisiana's May Republican primary.

Murkowski, who started the year with an approval rating of 37%, noted in a lengthy X post that she has had numerous "constructive meetings" with Blanche and credited him not only as being "decent and capable" but also as having "made several noteworthy decisions that will benefit our state and the nation."

The 69-year-old senator nevertheless vowed to "oppose his nomination."

It appears Murkowski is less opposed to the man and more opposed to the administration. After all, some of her complaints have to do with actions taken at the Justice Department prior to Blanche's April promotion to acting attorney general.

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"The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it," wrote Murkowski. "I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the president, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. senators."

Murkowski also expressed skepticism about the scrapping of the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that would have compensated MAGA victims of Democratic lawfare, noting that while it was taken off the table "because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage," there "is no telling what the future holds."

The senator said in conclusion that she does not have confidence that Blanche can "check the worst impulses of this administration."

There is no love lost between Trump and Murkowski.

"I'm against Murkowski," the president recently told Punchbowl News. "I do more for Alaska than any president in history. No president’s done for Alaska what I’ve done. She’s not good."

In June, Trump called the Alaskan U.S. senator "Trump deranged."

Murkowski is not, however, the only Republican lawmaker keen to torpedo Blanche's confirmation.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins — the Maine Republican whose challenger in the midterms is a leftist reportedly married to his second cousin — complained that while Blanche is a "capable lawyer," he "has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence."

Cassidy, a vociferous Trump critic and the remaining undecided Republican, has declined to indicate whether he'll support Blanche, reported The Hill.

The Senate is expected to vote Friday or sometime over the weekend to get the ball rolling on a final confirmation vote.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement, "Todd Blanche is exceptionally qualified and should be confirmed as the next attorney general of the United States so the administration can continue to keep America safe."

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Todd Blanche is aiming to be the next attorney general of the United States. Standing in his way are the Epstein survivors who say he brushed them off, two senators with nothing left to lose, and a questionable connection to one of Epstein’s closest partners in crime.

On the second day of Blanche's confirmation hearing earlier this month, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said a meeting with survivors needed to happen before he would vote to confirm Blanche. Survivors weren't having a stand-in — they wanted Blanche and got him that same afternoon, pressing him on compensation, prosecutions, and unaddressed leads.

Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

Blanche reportedly said only the FBI could open new investigations and that he couldn't make commitments that day.

Dani Bensky, who has been identified as one of Epstein’s victims, described a frustrating meeting with Blanche, telling CNN, “He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us, and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith or begin to restore trust.”

That's the survivors' side of Blanche's trouble.

The other side is a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund tied to Trump’s May settlement with the IRS, which Blanche has since declared dead — though concerns, raised chiefly by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tillis, remain regarding the possibility of a revival of the fund.

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These threads have spelled trouble for Blanche — as has his connection to Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring that Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of underage girls, should never receive a presidential pardon — though it carries no legal force.

Last year, as deputy attorney general, Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

In her floor remarks, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who introduced the resolution earlier this year, cited a report that Blanche had floated the idea that Maxwell's attorney "might expect something in return for her candor."

Rosen said she was pushing for a vote now specifically because Senate Republicans are inching toward confirming Blanche as permanent attorney general.

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Trump, for his part, has floated another option entirely: pulling the nomination and resubmitting it after Cornyn's and Tillis' terms end in January, when neither will still be in the chamber to block it.

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Bill Gates 'voluntarily' explains his Epstein ties to Congress



Bill Gates knew Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender. He met with him anyway — for years. On Wednesday, he had to explain that to Congress.

The 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a closed-door, transcribed interview. The session lasted nearly six hours.

'I guess if you're a big deal, you can do more than the rest of us.'

On his way in, Gates told reporters he was "glad to be here voluntarily." He retained Jake Greenberg, who until December was the Oversight Committee's chief investigations counsel. Mid-session, Greenberg reportedly said Gates would not answer questions about his affairs unless directly tied to Epstein.

The paper trail complicates the "voluntary" part.

In February, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) formally asked Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to subpoena Gates and compel him to testify under oath.

Comer sent Gates a formal written request in March stating the committee believed he had "information that will assist in its investigation." Before the session on Wednesday, Comer told reporters, "No one's accusing Bill Gates of any wrongdoing."

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In his prepared opening statement, Gates expressed regret but denied having extensive knowledge about Epstein's criminal behavior.

"I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed,” he admitted. “I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have."

He also denied ever visiting Epstein's island, ranch, or Florida home.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and served jail time as a registered sex offender. Gates claimed he began meeting with Epstein in 2011 over a pitch to unlock billions in global health donations.

By December 2014, Gates said he had cut off contact, concluding Epstein "would never deliver on his promises."

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said she directly asked Gates why he continued to associate with a registered sex offender. Gates told her that "getting billions of dollars for global health was worth it,” she said.

After Gates allegedly cut ties in 2014, a departing employee engaged Epstein to negotiate the "separation" — Epstein, Gates claimed, used that channel to learn of his infidelities and pressure him to re-engage.

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Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called the questioning "intense" but said Gates was "well coached" and that he didn't expect much new information to surface.

Burchett also broke with GOP leadership over the closed-door format: "I'm big about transparency. ... Let it be wide open." He added, "I guess if you're a big deal, you can do more than the rest of us."

Gates closed his opening statement to Congress with a conditional apology: "If the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry."

He left without answering a single question from reporters.

Democrats have repeatedly called for Trump to testify — a push Republicans have so far blocked. But the White House may not be able to stay out of it much longer.

Per Stansbury, Republicans have agreed to call acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — Trump's former lawyer — to testify about White House Epstein strategy sessions.

Comer also announced plans for a transcribed interview with Alan Dershowitz, who negotiated Epstein's 2008 plea deal.

A full transcript is expected in the coming days.

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Flashback: Kamala's GOP opponent in 2010 explains how his victory was snatched at the last minute by 'harvested' ballots



Nobody understands the frustration of "harvested" ballots and seemingly endless vote-counting in California better than Steve Cooley.

Cooley's name resurfaced on social media this week in an old news clip about Kamala Harris' come-from-behind victory in the California attorney general race back in 2010. Cooley, the Republican candidate as well as the district attorney of L.A. County at the time, declared victory on November 2 of that year after initial results showed him with a lead that at one point grew as large as 8%.

'This is a f**king mess, and there's no will in California to clean it up.'

Cooley told Blaze News that he felt a growing sense of confidence as he watched the returns come in. "Those numbers are pretty good," he recalled thinking.

"The night of the election, when they counted all the ballots cast that day, and they included all of the absentees, I was ahead," he said.

However, he quickly noted that the race was still "within 1%."

That narrow lead prompted an automatic count of all ballots cast, including provisional ballots. In general, provisional ballots are "harvested," Cooley said, and Harris "slaughtered" him once the provisional ballots were included.

"She beat me in all 58 counties — and it wasn't even close."

By November 25, three weeks after Cooley's victory appeared to be sealed, Harris had been declared the winner.

At the time, Cooley declined to request a recount since he would have been stuck with the bill if the recount failed to change the result. "It would have cost millions of dollars," he claimed.

"So it's a great incentive to not ask for a recount."

Still, Cooley believes that Democrat operatives played a pivotal role in handing the race to Harris. He claimed that "mostly Democrats ... do ballot-harvesting" and that "Kamala Harris was the default choice on a high percentage of the provisional ballots."

Kamala Harris' office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Spencer Pratt on Primary Election Day. Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images.

Cooley indicated the electoral process in California has not improved in the last 16 years. Though he stopped short of calling it "rigged," as President Donald Trump has done, Cooley believes the system is vulnerable to fraud, especially since every active registered voter in the state receives a live ballot and the voter rolls may yet still include individuals who have died, left the state, or are otherwise ineligible to vote.

"Those ballots are out there, ready to be picked up, harvested, whatever. And that's where the fraud comes in," he explained.

The Trump DOJ has pledged to audit the voter rolls in California, but Cooley notes such an audit will not affect the 2026 primary, even after Spencer Pratt was boxed out of the general election for L.A. mayor despite a 40,000-vote edge over far-left City Councilwoman Nithya Raman on Election Night, June 2. Raman will advance to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in November.

"Those questionable ballots have already been harvested and dropped off or sent in or mailed in by individuals who are essentially taking a mailed-out ballot and returning it on behalf of someone else."

"And there's no undoing that without a massive commitment of resources, and the registrar recorders are not going to do it. ... They don't want to spend the time, money, and energy in doing it, because all it does is point out how incompetent they are. They're not going to make any effort to prove their own incompetence and failures," Cooley said.

"This is a f**king mess, and there's no will in California to clean it up. No will."

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