Trump’s ex-lawyer, Todd Blanche, confirmed as US attorney general

The US Senate has narrowly confirmed Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as attorney general, giving the president a close ally permanent leadership of the Department of Justice.

Blanche was confirmed by a 50-49 vote early Saturday, with Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats in opposing his nomination.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the decisive vote in Blanche’s favour.

The confirmation ends weeks of uncertainty over Blanche’s nomination, as he had been serving as acting attorney general since April after previously serving as deputy attorney general.

Cassidy had been closely watched during the confirmation battle because his vote was considered crucial to Blanche’s prospects.

Before voting, Cassidy said the decision was not a referendum on Trump but a judgment on Blanche and the circumstances surrounding his nomination.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump; it is a decision regarding Mr Blanche, in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy said. “All considered, I will vote for Mr Blanche.”

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He argued that Senate confirmation would give Blanche greater leverage to press for issues he believed needed to be addressed within the Justice Department.

Blanche later said he was “deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me” and thanked senators for working late to confirm him.

Blanche’s nomination faced resistance from some Republicans over a proposed $1.8bn “anti-weaponisation fund” and issues surrounding a settlement involving Trump and the Internal Revenue Service.

Murkowski said she was concerned that the fund could have benefited people prosecuted over the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. She also criticised what she described as the politicisation of the Justice Department.

“I am also keenly aware that the Department’s nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund, which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters, is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage. Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds,” Murkowski said.

Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina secured written assurances from Blanche that the fund would not proceed and sought clarification over the IRS settlement. Those assurances helped secure their support for his nomination.

Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, criticised Blanche’s confirmation, arguing that his previous role as Trump’s personal lawyer raised concerns about the independence of the Justice Department.

“If you want to wipe out corruption, you can’t have the president’s personal attorney as the attorney general. You don’t need a PhD in political science to know that,” Schumer wrote on X.

“Todd Blanche has no intention of stopping Trump’s corruption. He advanced his career enabling it. Every senator who voted to confirm him has now branded themselves as an enabler, too.”

Blanche left a private-sector legal partnership in 2023 to represent Trump and later joined the administration as deputy attorney general.

His confirmation makes him the permanent head of the Justice Department, which is responsible for federal law enforcement and is led by the attorney general.

Before his nomination was confirmed, Blanche had said he had not sought the attorney general position and that he was willing to serve wherever Trump wanted him.

“As to whether or not I want this job, I did not ask for this job. I love working for President Trump, it’s the greatest honor of a lifetime,” he said in April.

“If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much. I love you, sir.’ I don’t have any goals or aspirations beyond that.”

Blanche’s confirmation now gives him a full term as US attorney general after months of serving in an acting capacity.

(BBC)