Todd Blanche has been confirmed as the new US attorney general after a narrow Senate vote on Saturday. Blanche, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s criminal defence lawyer, will now lead the US Justice Department.
The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 in the early hours of Saturday to confirm Todd Blanche, reported news agency AP. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all Democrats in opposing him.
Blanche had already run the Justice Department in an acting capacity after Trump removed Pam Bondi from the top post in April. His Senate confirmation now gives him the permanent authority of attorney general as he leads an agency that Trump has repeatedly sought to reshape around his administration’s priorities.
Blanche said he was “deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me” after the vote, reported AP. He also thanked senators for working late to complete the confirmation.
Blanche’s confirmation followed a Senate debate, with concerns raised by both Democrats and some Republicans. His previous work as Trump’s criminal defence lawyer and his close ties to the president were among the issues discussed during the confirmation process.
Democrats questioned whether Blanche would be able to maintain the Justice Department’s independence from the White House. Some Republicans also raised concerns about a settlement involving Trump, his family and people prosecuted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, reported AP.
Blanche’s major obstacle
A major obstacle to Blanche’s confirmation came from a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund that the Justice Department had agreed to create as part of a settlement involving Trump.
The proposed “anti-weaponization fund” was designed to compensate people who claimed they had suffered unfair treatment from the criminal justice system. The settlement also included provisions that would protect Trump and members of his family from certain IRS tax audits.
The proposal created serious problems for Blanche’s nomination. Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina pushed Blanche and the Justice Department to abandon the fund and change the tax-related part of the agreement, reported AP.
Blanche eventually gave a written commitment that the department would drop the proposed $1.8 billion fund, as reported by AP. He also agreed to rein in the provision that would have protected Trump and his family from IRS audits.
Those commitments helped secure enough Republican support for his nomination.
Senator Bill Cassidy became the decisive Republican vote in Blanche’s favour. Cassidy said Blanche could be the person best placed to run the Justice Department under Trump. “This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy said, as reported by AP.
Democrats remained opposed. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the confirmation a “serious mistake”.
“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, as reported by AP.
Murkowski also opposed Blanche. She said the country needed an attorney general who could “check the worst impulses of this administration”.
A look at his powers
As attorney general, Blanche will lead the US Justice Department and oversee its law enforcement work. As US attorney general, Blanche will become the head of the Justice Department and the federal government’s chief law enforcement officer. He will supervise the department’s major agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Bureau of Prisons. He will also oversee US attorneys and US marshals, according to US Department of Justice.
The attorney general also has broad authority over federal legal matters. The role includes representing the United States in legal cases, supervising government litigation and giving legal advice to the president and other executive departments when requested.
The position also gives Blanche a major role in setting the Justice Department’s law enforcement priorities. That includes decisions about how the department approaches federal criminal investigations and prosecutions across the country, according to US Department of Justice.
He had already exercised these responsibilities as acting attorney general after taking charge of the department on April 2, 2026.
The Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey on April 28. The case relates to a social media post by Comey that showed seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47”. Comey’s lawyers have asked the court to dismiss the case. They have accused the Justice Department of misleading judges, submitting documents with false statements and withholding important facts, reported AP.
On April 18, Blanche appointed former Justice Department prosecutor Joseph diGenova to lead an investigation in Florida. The probe looks into allegations that former law enforcement and intelligence officials had worked for years to undermine Trump.
The outcome of that investigation remains uncertain, and it is not clear whether it will result in criminal charges.