The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, as attorney general in a closely contested 50-49 vote early on Saturday morning, August 8th, 2026. The confirmation has sparked strong criticism from Senate Democrats, who warn that Blanche’s appointment enables continued misconduct by Trump.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer condemned Senate Republicans for what he described as handing Trump “an excuse on a silver platter” to persist in what Schumer called “pervasive, breathtaking misconduct.” Schumer stated, “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 the Trump administration’s “assault on the rule of law and undermining of democratic values.”

New Mexico Democratic representative Melanie Stansbury echoed Schumer’s concerns, calling Blanche’s confirmation a “dark moment” for the nation’s traditional system of checks and balances. In a radio interview, Trump himself said, “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 US government faces a potential shutdown after September 30th 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.

This confirmation comes amid ongoing political tensions and debates over governance and the rule of law in the United States.

Sources