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 served as acting attorney general since April, and his confirmation ends a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration.

Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined all Democrats in opposing Blanche's nomination. The deciding vote came from Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his previous acrimony with Trump, who voted in favor of Blanche. During Trump's second impeachment in 2021, Cassidy voted to convict the former president over the January 6 Capitol riot.

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 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 the president with candid legal advice.

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

Sources