The United States Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as the 88th Attorney General of the United States, formally placing him at the helm of the Department of Justice after months of serving in an acting capacity.
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Blanche secured confirmation in a razor-thin 50–49 vote in the early hours of Saturday, August 8, 2026, according to the official Senate roll call. One senator did not vote.
The confirmation came after a contentious battle that exposed concerns among Democrats and some Republicans over Blanche’s independence from Trump, his management of politically sensitive Justice Department matters and controversial decisions taken while serving as acting attorney general.
Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in voting against the nomination. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana ultimately backed Blanche, providing the crucial support needed for his confirmation.
Blanche reacted to the vote by saying he was deeply honoured by the trust placed in him by Trump and expressed gratitude to senators who remained at the Capitol late into the night to complete his confirmation.
The Senate vote completed a rapid rise inside the Justice Department for Blanche, a former federal prosecutor who became nationally prominent as one of Trump’s principal criminal defence lawyers.
He represented Trump in three criminal cases brought against him in 2023 and 2024, including the New York criminal trial involving hush-money payments as well as the two federal prosecutions brought against Trump before his return to the White House.
After Trump returned to office, Blanche joined the Justice Department as Deputy Attorney General, becoming the department’s second-ranking official and overseeing its day-to-day operations.
He subsequently became acting attorney general in April 2026 after Trump removed Pam Bondi from the post. Trump formally sent Blanche’s nomination to the Senate on June 8, 2026.
Before entering private practice, Blanche spent nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he handled cases involving narcotics trafficking, violent crime and other federal offences.
His confirmation hearings, which began before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15, focused heavily on whether his previous representation of Trump and subsequent role in the administration would affect his ability to independently enforce federal law.
One of the most significant obstacles to his confirmation concerned a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” compensation fund arising from the resolution of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
The proposed arrangement had contemplated compensation for persons who claimed they had been unfairly targeted by the criminal justice system, including some individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina raised concerns about the arrangement, leading Blanche to provide written assurances that the Justice Department would abandon the proposed fund.
Blanche also agreed to narrow provisions of a related arrangement that had provided protections against certain IRS audits involving Trump, his sons and family business interests.
The concessions helped his nomination advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee, although Collins and Murkowski remained unconvinced.
Murkowski said she had concerns about Blanche’s ability to check actions of the administration with which she disagreed and also criticised his handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related records, the tax arrangements involving Trump and what she viewed as politically driven Justice Department actions.
Blanche’s handling of documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was among the issues repeatedly raised during the confirmation process.
As Deputy Attorney General and later acting attorney general, Blanche became one of the public faces of the administration’s handling of the release of millions of pages of investigative material connected with Epstein.
Democrats argued throughout the confirmation process that Blanche’s longstanding relationship with Trump raised questions about whether he could preserve the traditional independence of the Justice Department from the White House.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed the nomination, arguing that the country required an attorney general capable of acting independently and confronting corruption irrespective of political considerations.
Republican supporters rejected those concerns and pointed instead to Blanche’s experience as both a federal prosecutor and defence lawyer.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley described Blanche ahead of the vote as a tough and fair prosecutor committed to the rule of law, pointing to his experience prosecuting federal crimes and managing the Justice Department.
Supporters also credited Blanche with focusing the Justice Department on violent crime, immigration enforcement, fraud, drug cartels and transnational criminal organisations during his period as deputy and acting attorney general. The White House had also publicised endorsements for his nomination from several national law-enforcement organisations and state attorneys general.
Blanche now takes permanent charge of one of the most powerful law-enforcement institutions in the world, overseeing the Justice Department and federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, US Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the country’s 93 US Attorney’s Offices.
His confirmation makes him the second Senate-confirmed attorney general of Trump’s second administration following Bondi.
President Trump is scheduled to formally swear Blanche into office on Monday, completing his transition from acting attorney general to the Senate-confirmed head of the Justice Department.
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