Todd Blanche, who served as US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, has been narrowly confirmed as the United States Attorney General following a 50-49 Senate vote on Saturday, August 8th, 2026. The confirmation ends a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration, with Blanche having acted as attorney general since April.

Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined all Democrats in opposing Blanche's nomination. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his past acrimony with Trump and who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment in 2021, cast the deciding vote in favor of Blanche.

Concerns among some Republicans centered on Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his involvement in creating 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 scale 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." Supporters highlighted his potential to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and provide "greater leverage to push for things that should be pushed for."

This confirmation marks a significant moment in Washington as Blanche assumes leadership of the Department of Justice amid ongoing political tensions.

Sources