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 concludes a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration, with Blanche having served as acting 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 raised by some Republican senators included Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his role in establishing Trump's $1.8 billion (approximately £1.3 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.

Collins also expressed worries about Blanche's involvement in settling Trump's $10 billion lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), though she 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."

Sources