US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, has been narrowly confirmed as the US Attorney General, the nation's top law enforcement official, following a 50-49 Senate vote on Saturday, August 8th, 2026. Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April, and his confirmation ends a prolonged standoff 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, who had voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment in 2021 over the January 6 Capitol riot.

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." He emphasized that the decision was about him specifically, stating, "This is not a referendum on President Trump, it is a decision regarding Mr Blanche, in very specific circumstances." Blanche also expressed his intent to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and have "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for."

Sources