The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday morning, cementing President Trump's former personal attorney's command of a Justice Department the president has sought to bend to his will. The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi was fired in April, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration's agenda even more aggressively, the AP reports.
- "I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice as our great nation's 88th Attorney General," Blanche said on X. "I am grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process."
The vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns—from some Republicans as well as Democrats—about installing Trump's close ally atop a Justice Department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House. In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans—Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—and by every Democrat.
- The path to confirmation for Blanche was unusually rocky, due in large part to Republican concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Under pressure, Blanche publicly promised in writing that the department would abandon Trump's proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for the president's allies, including those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and rein in another piece of the settlement designed to shield Trump and his family from IRS tax audits.
- His appeals were enough to win over Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the decisive vote who threw his support behind Blanche Friday morning. Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump and suggested Blanche's role as Trump's former criminal defense lawyer could make him more effective at pushing back on the president's demands. "This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances," said Cassidy.
- Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said confirming Blanche would be a "serious mistake." He begged his colleagues not to be on the "wrong side" of history. "If there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it's right now," Durbin said.
- Collins and Murkowski cited the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and the tax audit immunity deal as reasons for opposing the nomination, the New York Times reports. "The country needs an attorney general who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said in a statement. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."
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