The US Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, marking a significant victory for former President Donald Trump. Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, will now lead the Department of Justice.

The confirmation vote was tightly contested, passing 50-49 along party lines. Every Democrat opposed Blanche’s nomination, while two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also voted against him. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote in favor of Blanche, stating on the Senate floor, “Mr Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr Blanche. It is between Mr Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr Blanche.”

Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general prior to the vote, but his nomination had been stalled for weeks amid concerns. He faced criticism from some Republican senators over the Department of Justice’s plan to establish a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” and to grant tax immunity to Trump, his sons, and his businesses.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the confirmation, saying Senate Republicans have “handed Trump an excuse on a silver platter” to continue his “pervasive, breathtaking misconduct.”

During Blanche’s tenure as deputy and acting attorney general, the department indicted former FBI director James Comey twice, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, cases which some experts consider weak.

Senator Collins, who is seeking re-election in Maine, expressed concerns about the politicization of the Department of Justice, stating, “While I believe Mr Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political. Mr Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation.”

This confirmation solidifies Blanche’s position at the helm of the nation’s top law enforcement agency amid ongoing political tensions.

Sources