President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, has been confirmed as the US attorney general, the nation's top law enforcement official, on Saturday, August 8th, 2026.

Blanche won confirmation in a narrow 50-49 vote. Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski opposed his nomination, while Republican Senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote in favor, stating he believed Blanche was the best option the president would put forward. Washington had been anxiously awaiting Cassidy's decision due to longstanding tensions between him and Trump.

The confirmation concludes a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April 2026. All Democrats voted against his nomination.

Concerns had been raised by some Republican senators regarding Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his role in establishing Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. This fund was intended to compensate individuals alleging government persecution, but critics, including Murkowski, feared it might benefit those prosecuted for participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress.

Collins also expressed worries about Blanche's involvement in settling Trump's $10 billion lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), though she ultimately trusted him to provide the president with candid legal advice.

During Trump's second impeachment in 2021, Cassidy voted to convict Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot.

Cassidy remarked, "All considered, I will vote for Mr Blanche," highlighting the need to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and provide "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for."

Sources