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 closely contested Senate vote on Saturday, August 8th, 2026.

Blanche's confirmation ended a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. The vote concluded with a 50-49 margin, with two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joining 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.

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

Concerns among some Republican senators centered on Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his involvement in establishing Trump's $1.8 billion (£1.3 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. Following pushback during confirmation hearings, Blanche pledged to scale back the fund.

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

During Trump's second impeachment trial in 2021, Cassidy voted to convict Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot, highlighting the complex dynamics surrounding Blanche's confirmation.

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April 2026 and now assumes the role permanently, tasked with overseeing the nation's law enforcement policies.

Sources