The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as Attorney General in a razor-thin 50-49 vote early Saturday, formally handing President Donald Trump's former personal defence lawyer control of the Department of Justice, CNN reported. Blanche had already been running the department in an acting capacity after Trump removed Pam Bondi as attorney general in April. His confirmation followed a contentious battle in the Senate, fuelled by concerns among Democrats and some Republicans over placing a close presidential loyalist at the helm of an institution that has traditionally sought to maintain its independence from the White House.
According to CNN, Blanche secured confirmation by the narrowest possible margin, with Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats in voting against him. Since Trump returned to the White House, Blanche has played a central role in restructuring the Justice Department around the President's priorities. His rise has taken him from leading Trump's criminal defence team to overseeing a sweeping administrative and legal agenda inside the federal government. At the department, Blanche backed legal arguments seeking broader executive authority and presidential protections, directed extensive personnel changes affecting experienced prosecutors and other veteran officials, and pursued legal strategies that have faced scrutiny from judges across the country.
During Blanche's period as acting attorney general, the Justice Department pursued indictments against high-profile political figures, including former FBI Director James Comey, while also issuing subpoenas seeking information involving journalists' sources. CNN reported that the department established and later dismantled a controversial anti-weaponisation fund. It also approved a tax immunity arrangement involving the President and the Internal Revenue Service. Blanche's influence at the Justice Department, however, predates his elevation to acting attorney general. CNN previously reported that while serving as deputy attorney general, he frequently led important meetings, including sessions that would traditionally have been chaired by the attorney general.
Following his confirmation, Blanche is expected to continue pursuing cases connected to what Trump has described as the past "weaponisation" of the Justice Department against him, his supporters and political allies. He is also expected to advance major administration priorities, including tougher immigration enforcement and an expanded crackdown on fraud involving government programmes.
Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who spent years in public service before moving into private practice. In April 2023, he resigned from his partnership at prominent New York law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft to represent Trump as the then-former president faced multiple criminal cases. The decision surprised many of Blanche's former colleagues. Previously registered as a Democrat, he had built a reputation as a committed prosecutor who largely kept his personal political views private. His subsequent embrace of Trump's legal battles and increasingly public alignment with his client's rhetoric marked a striking transformation for some of his former legal peers.
The professional gamble ultimately brought Blanche considerable political influence. He rapidly emerged as one of Trump's principal attorneys across three federal indictments and was among the small group of advisers who sat alongside him during his New York hush-money criminal trial. Trump was ultimately convicted in that case, but his lawyers succeeded in delaying sentencing until after the presidential election, eliminating the possibility of imprisonment before voters went to the polls.
Blanche's legal team also secured important victories in Trump's other criminal cases. In the federal election interference case, the team obtained a favourable Supreme Court ruling expanding presidential immunity. Trump's lawyers also persuaded a federal judge in Florida to dismiss charges concerning his handling of classified documents. Although Blanche initially told associates that he was not seeking a position in the administration, CNN reported, Trump eventually nominated him to become the Justice Department's second-highest-ranking official.
At the time, Trump said Blanche would repair what he described as a "broken System of Justice". Once inside the department, Blanche quickly emerged as a potential successor to Bondi as Trump's dissatisfaction with her leadership increased. Following her removal, he assumed control of the department in an acting capacity. One official quoted by CNN described Blanche's eventual confirmation by saying, "This is exactly what he's been waiting for."
Blanche's route to Senate confirmation was far from straightforward. He spent two days in Alaska, where outstanding state lawsuits and settlements were resolved and more than USD 6 million in grants were directed to the state. The efforts, however, failed to persuade Murkowski to support him. "The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said while explaining her opposition. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case," she added.
Blanche also encountered resistance from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy over concerns about the alleged "weaponisation of the Justice Department", including questions surrounding a possible investigation into former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Hutchinson was a key witness in the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The nomination was also delayed in the Senate Judiciary Committee amid negotiations with Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. To address concerns surrounding the anti-weaponisation fund and the IRS arrangement, Blanche signed a memo terminating the fund and issued another memorandum clarifying the terms of the tax agreement, helping clear the remaining obstacles to his confirmation.