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 August 8, 2026. Blanche had served as acting attorney general since April, and his confirmation ends a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration.

The confirmation vote saw two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, join all Democrats in opposing Blanche's nomination. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his previous vote to convict Trump during the 2021 second impeachment over the January 6 Capitol riot, 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 Congress. Blanche pledged to walk 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," signaling his readiness to serve with "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for" and to "check the worst impulses of this administration."

This confirmation marks a significant moment in Washington, reflecting ongoing divisions within the Republican Party and the broader political landscape.

Sources