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. Blanche had been serving 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 past acrimony with Trump, 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 the US Congress. Following pushback during confirmation hearings, Blanche pledged to walk back the fund.

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

After the vote, Blanche stated he was "deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me." He emphasized that the decision was specific to his nomination and not a referendum on President Trump, adding that he aimed to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and have "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for."

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

Sources