The United States Senate has approved Todd Blanche as the country’s new Attorney General, despite strong opposition from Democrats over his previous role as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.
Blanche was confirmed early Saturday by a 50-49 vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in rejecting his nomination.
Blanche had been serving as acting Attorney General since April, following Trump’s removal of Pam Bondi. Before joining the administration, he was part of Trump’s legal team in several high-profile criminal cases.
His work for Trump included the New York case involving payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, as well as two federal cases concerning classified documents and efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Those federal cases were later dropped after Trump returned to office following the 2024 election.
The nomination became a major political flashpoint, with Democrats accusing Blanche of being too closely aligned with Trump to independently oversee the Department of Justice.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that Blanche’s relationship with Trump raised concerns about the department being used to pursue the president’s political interests.
Republican support for Blanche was also tested by proposals linked to the nomination, including a proposed $1.8 billion fund for people Trump says were victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
Another controversial proposal involved protecting Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization from certain tax audits. Blanche later issued a written directive removing the proposed anti-weaponisation fund and limiting the tax-related arrangement to previous tax years.
Following his confirmation, Blanche said he was honoured by Trump’s confidence and thanked senators and Justice Department employees for their service.
His tenure is expected to face continued scrutiny, particularly over the administration’s treatment of Trump’s political opponents and its handling of investigations and prosecutions.
Blanche has also faced criticism from victims of Jeffrey Epstein over the Justice Department’s management of files connected to the convicted sex offender.
