Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as Attorney General faces renewed jeopardy as Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced on Friday morning that she will vote against his confirmation, a decision that came shortly after an interview surfaced in which President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Alaska Republican.

In a statement posted on X, Murkowski wrote: "I have had numerous constructive meetings with Mr. Blanche and he comes across as decent and capable. I appreciate the trip he made to learn more about Alaska, including our rural areas, and as Acting Attorney General he has made several noteworthy decisions that will benefit our state and the nation. Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination. The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it."

Murkowski also cited concerns about the handling of Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, as well as "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 and Cassidy were both among the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, a history that looms over the current confirmation fight and helps explain the president's sustained hostility toward both senators.

The senator's announcement followed an interview Trump gave to Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman, in which the president spent considerable time criticizing Murkowski.

"So, Murkowski, I was against," Trump told Sherman. "Yeah, I'm against Murkowski. I think she's — I do more for Alaska than any, any president in history. No president's done for Alaska I've done. She's uh she's not good."

With Murkowski now opposed, attention has shifted to Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his primary in May after Trump backed Cassidy's Republican opponent. Cassidy is now the final undecided GOP lawmaker whose vote will determine whether Blanche can be confirmed before the August recess. In a Senate where Republicans hold a narrow majority, a single GOP defection can be decisive assuming near-unified Democratic opposition.

"It's all on Cassidy now, absent a miracle appearance by [Mitch] McConnell," wrote NOTUS reporter Igor Bobic on X.

"All eyes now turn to Sen. Bill Cassidy, the final GOP holdout," Punchbowl News' Laura Weiss agreed. "His vote determines whether Blanche can be confirmed before August recess."

Blanche, who has been serving as Acting Attorney General, would continue in that role if the Senate fails to confirm him, though an acting official lacks the full institutional standing and authority of a Senate-confirmed attorney general — a constraint that could complicate the administration's law enforcement and oversight priorities heading into the fall.

When Sherman asked Trump whether he regretted opposing Republican senators whose support he needs to advance his agenda, the president was unyielding.

"Look, I don't regret it. You do what you have to do," Trump said. "And just so you understand, they voted to impeach me."