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 ends a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April 2026. The vote saw two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, join all Democrats in opposing his nomination. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his past acrimony with Trump, cast the deciding vote in favor of Blanche.

Concerns raised by some Republican senators 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 the US Congress. Blanche pledged to scale back the fund following pushback during his confirmation hearings.

Collins also expressed reservations about Blanche's role 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.

After the vote, Blanche said he was "deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me."

This confirmation marks a significant moment in Washington, with Blanche now positioned to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and wield "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for," according to statements made during the confirmation process.

Sources