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

The confirmation concluded a lengthy impasse between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined all Democrats in opposing Blanche's nomination. The deciding vote was cast by Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his past acrimony with Trump, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment in 2021 related to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April 2026. After the vote, he expressed that he was "deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me."

Concerns raised by some Republican senators during the confirmation process included Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his involvement in establishing Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" 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. Blanche pledged to scale back the fund following pushback.

Senator Collins also voiced worries about Blanche's role in settling Trump's $10 billion lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but ultimately trusted him to provide the president with candid legal advice.

Blanche's confirmation is seen as giving him greater leverage to influence the administration's legal direction, with some senators emphasizing the importance of his role in checking the administration's impulses.

Sources