AssetID: 55902854
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Trump's Attorney General Nominee At Risk After Murkowski Defection
Caption: Trump's Attorney General Nominee At Risk After Murkowski Defection. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has announced she will vote against confirming Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general, dealing a significant blow to President Trump's nominee. Although Murkowski described Blanche as "decent and capable," she said she lacks confidence that he would act independently and restrain the administration's "worst impulses”. Her decision follows a similar announcement by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, leaving Blanche with almost no room for further Republican defections in the narrowly divided Senate. Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer and current acting attorney general, has faced criticism over the Justice Department's perceived politicization. As well as a controversial $1.8 billion compensation fund linked to Trump's IRS settlement, and the handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Senate Republicans had hoped to confirm Blanche before the August recess, but Murkowski's opposition now puts his nomination in serious jeopardy. With Senator Mitch McConnell still absent, Blanche can afford to lose only two Republican votes if all Democrats vote against him. The outcome may now hinge on a handful of remaining undecided Republicans, making the confirmation battle one of the Trump administration's biggest Senate tests to date. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Republican,senators,confirmation,defection,Alaska,Lisa Murkowksi,Susan Collins,Mitch McConnell,divide,danger,Todd Blanche,attorney general,IRS,settlement,Epstein files,Donald Trump,narrowly-divide,chamber
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