2026年8月9日 美国东部时间下午1:49 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
华盛顿 — 路易斯安那州共和党参议员比尔·卡西迪周日表示，他支持托德·布兰奇出任司法部长的投票并非“非黑即白”，并阐述了自己在投下决定性一票前的考量因素。
“如果你想在这里找到非黑即白的决定，那你找不到，”卡西迪在《与玛格丽特·布伦南会面》节目中说道。
卡西迪周五在参议院发表长篇演讲时宣布，他将投票支持布兰奇的提名，为后者出任司法部长扫清了障碍。今年早些时候，在总统背书的初选挑战者击败他后，这位路易斯安那州共和党人近期与本党决裂的意愿有所增强。此前缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯和阿拉斯加州共和党参议员丽莎·穆尔科斯基表示不会支持布兰奇，因此卡西迪的投票一直备受关注。
参议院共和党目前拥有53个席位，加上肯塔基州共和党参议员米奇·麦康奈尔持续缺席，卡西迪的反对本可以有效扼杀布兰奇的提名。但随着周五他宣布支持，参议院共和党人于周六凌晨以微弱优势确认布兰奇出任司法部长。
布兰奇因司法部18亿美元的“反武器化”基金遭到多名共和党参议员的反对，该基金用于向那些声称遭受联邦政府不公对待的人支付赔偿，这是司法部与总统达成的和解协议的一部分，该协议旨在解决一起因总统税单泄露引发的100亿美元民事诉讼。布兰奇在6月作证称该基金“已经夭折”，但包括得克萨斯州参议员约翰·科宁和北卡罗来纳州参议员汤姆·蒂利斯在内的一些共和党人仍心存担忧。随后在上周，这两位参议员与司法部达成协议，不再反对布兰奇的提名，此前布兰奇发布命令撤销了设立该基金的指令。
被问及对司法部基金的担忧时，卡西迪重申这一决定并非非黑即白，而是“深浅不一的灰色地带”。但他强调，他被告知恢复该基金的进程“实际上已经夭折”。他援引科宁对当前局势的满意态度，指出这位得克萨斯州共和党人曾担任该州司法部长。
“他花了一段时间才达成共识，但约翰（科宁）的认可对我来说很重要，”卡西迪说，“在这方面我信任约翰。”
谈及为特朗普家族提供广泛豁免权、使其免受税务审计和调查的和解协议时，卡西迪表示“这完全是错误的”。
“没有美国人应该成为法律的 target，但也没有美国人可以凌驾于法律之上，”他说，“坦率地说，这几乎让我投下反对票。”
但卡西迪也阐述了他认为布兰奇的可取之处，称他与路易斯安那州的联邦检察官进行了交谈，他表示这些谈话“极大地”让他倾向于支持布兰奇。
“如果你希望司法部真正履行职责，你需要稳定的领导，也需要高效的领导，”卡西迪说，“而在那些对我的生活、你的生活以及美国人民的生活产生最大影响的事务中，有很多积极的方面可以评价托德·布兰奇。”
当被问及布兰奇将如何应对即将到来的选举，以及民主党人提出的布兰奇是否会捍卫宪法的质疑时，卡西迪表示“总会存在这种生存层面的焦虑”。但他补充道：“你对未来能有多笃定，我就有多笃定。”
卡西迪支持布兰奇的决定，是在他一年多前同样投下决定性一票推动卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪上任之后做出的，尽管当时他对肯尼迪在疫苗问题上的记录存在严重担忧。作为一名医生，卡西迪此后曾多次与这位HHS部长发生争执。
这位路易斯安那州共和党人在参议院发表讲话时情绪激动，描述了他支持布兰奇这一决定的严肃性。他周日解释说，“有时你会意识到代表你的州和国家是何等的无上荣幸”。
“小时候我会读历史书，读到参议院议事厅里那些重大决策的故事，”他说，“而我，比尔·卡西迪，也能做到这一点，我深感荣幸。每当我片刻间感受到这份责任和荣誉的分量时，我就会情绪激动。”
Sen. Bill Cassidy says his vote to confirm Todd Blanche wasn’t a “black or white decision”
2026-08-09 1:49 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said on Sunday that his decision to support Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general wasn’t “black or white,” outlining what informed his thinking ahead of casting the decisive vote.
“If you’re looking for a black or white decision here, you’re not going to find it,” Cassidy said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Cassidy announced in a lengthy speech Friday on the Senate floor that he would vote in favor of Blanche, clearing the way for him to be confirmed as attorney general. The Louisiana Republican, who was defeated by a primary challenger earlier this year after the president endorsed his opponent, has been more willing to break with his party in recent months, and his vote had been the subject of intense interest after GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they wouldn’t support Blanche.
With 53 seats in the upper chamber, and GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky’s continued absence, Cassidy’s opposition would have effectively sunk Blanche’s nomination. But with the announcement of his support Friday, Senate Republicans narrowly confirmed Blanche as attorney general early Saturday morning.
Blanche faced pushback from a number of GOP senators over the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to provide payouts to people who alleged they were wronged by the federal government, which came as part of a settlement agreement the department reached with the president to resolve a $10 billion civil lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. Blanche testified in June that the fund was “dead,” but concern persisted among some Republicans — including Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Then last week, the two senators reached an agreement with the DOJ, dropping their opposition to Blanche’s nomination as he issued an order rescinding his directive that established the fund.
Asked about his concerns regarding the DOJ fund, Cassidy reiterated that the decision wasn’t black or white, but a “gradation of gray.” But he stressed that he’s been told that the process to reinstate the fund “effectively is dead.” He cited Cornyn’s comfort with where things stand, noting that the Texas Republican has a background as the state’s attorney general.
“Took him a while to get there, but the fact that John did was important to me,” Cassidy said. “I trust John on that.”
On the settlement providing broad immunity to Mr. Trump’s family, with protection against tax audits and investigations, Cassidy said “that’s totally wrong.”
“No American should be targeted by the law, but no American should be above the law,” he said. “And that, frankly, almost weighed to vote no.”
But Cassidy outlined what he saw as the positives for Blanche, saying he spoke to the U.S. attorneys in Louisiana in conversations that he said weighed “strongly” in Blanche’s favor.
“If you want a DOJ which is actually doing its job, you need stable leadership, and you need leadership which is effective,” Cassidy said. “And in that which is making the greatest difference in my life, in your life, in the American people’s life, there’s a lot of positive things to say about Todd Blanche.”
As for how Blanche would handle the upcoming election, and questions Democrats have posed over whether Blanche will uphold the Constitution, Cassidy said “there’s always this existential anxiety.” But he added, “I am as confident as you can be about the future.”
Cassidy’s decision to support Blanche came more than a year after he likewise cast a decisive vote to advance Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite serious concerns over Kennedy’s track record on vaccines. Cassidy, a medical doctor, has since clashed with the HHS secretary on a number of occasions.
The Louisiana Republican appeared emotional during his remarks on the Senate floor as he described the gravity of his decision to support Blanche. He explained Sunday that “sometimes you’re aware of the incredible privilege of representing your state and your nation.”
“As a little boy, I would read history books, and I read about these great decisions on the Senate floor,” he said. “The fact that I, Bill Cassidy, was able to do that, I am so privileged. And whenever I just for a second am hit by the gravity of that and the honor of that, I get emotional.”
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