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. Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April 2026. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined all Democrats in opposing his nomination. The decisive vote was cast by Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican whose decision was closely watched due to his past acrimony with Trump.

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 walk back the fund following pushback during his confirmation hearings.

Senator 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."

Notably, during Trump's second impeachment in 2021, Senator Cassidy voted to convict Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot.

Sources