The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, as attorney general early Saturday morning by a 50 to 49 vote. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer criticized the confirmation, stating that Senate Republicans have "handed Trump an excuse on a silver platter" to continue what Schumer described as "pervasive, breathtaking misconduct."

Schumer wrote on X that "if you want to wipe out corruption, you can't have the president's personal attorney as the attorney general," adding that Blanche has no intention of stopping Trump's misconduct. He also said Senate Democrats will continue to resist what they call the Trump administration's "assault on the rule of law and undermining of democratic values."

New Mexico Democratic representative Melanie Stansbury echoed these concerns, calling Blanche's confirmation a "dark moment" for the nation's traditional system of checks and balances. She expressed skepticism in a radio interview, 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."

During Blanche's tenure as deputy and acting attorney general, the department indicted former FBI director James Comey twice, New York attorney general Letitia James, and the non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center, all in cases viewed by experts as thin.

Separately, the government faces a potential shutdown after 30 September 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 makes no major changes to funding levels.

Sources