President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, has been confirmed as the US attorney general, the nation's top law enforcement official, following a narrow 50-49 Senate vote on Saturday, August 8th, 2026.

Blanche's confirmation ended a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. He had been serving as acting attorney general since April 2026. The deciding vote came from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who stated he believed Blanche was the best option the president would put forward, despite their history of acrimony. All Democrats voted against the nomination.

Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski opposed Blanche's confirmation. Collins expressed concerns about Blanche's involvement in settling Trump's $10 billion lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but ultimately trusted him to provide candid legal advice to the president. Some Republican senators also raised issues 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. Critics, including Murkowski, feared the fund could compensate individuals prosecuted for participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress.

Senator Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment over the January 6 Capitol riot, remarked that Blanche would help "check the worst impulses of this administration" and provide "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for."

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