The U.S. Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, as attorney general early Saturday morning by a vote of 50 to 49. The confirmation has sparked strong criticism from Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who accused Senate Republicans of enabling Trump to continue his "pervasive, breathtaking misconduct."

Schumer stated on X that "If you want to wipe out corruption, you can’t have the president’s personal attorney as the attorney general. You don’t need a PhD in political science to know that." He added that Blanche has no intention of stopping Trump’s misconduct and pledged that Senate Democrats will continue to resist what they describe as the Trump administration’s "assault on the rule of law and undermining of democratic values."

New Mexico Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury called Blanche’s confirmation a "dark moment" for the nation’s system of checks and balances. She emphasized the importance of distinguishing between an attorney general who once was Trump’s personal attorney and one who is now serving as attorney general while maintaining that prior relationship.

In a radio interview, Donald Trump himself expressed skepticism, saying, “I’ve got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump’s personal attorney, as opposed to President Trump’s personal attorney who is now the attorney general. I think there’s a big difference between the two.”

Separately, the government faces a potential shutdown after September 30 if new funding is not approved. Republican Senate appropriations committee chair Susan Collins described the continuing resolution as a "major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers," noting it does not make major changes to funding levels.

Sources