Todd Blanche confirmed as US attorney general in 50-49 vote
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- Todd Blanche was confirmed as US attorney general in a 50-49 Senate vote, with Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining all Democrats in opposing him
- Senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote after concluding Blanche was the best option the president would put forward, citing reluctance to impede the department's work fighting violent crime
- Blanche had served as acting attorney general since April after Pam Bondi was fired, ending a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration
- Republican concerns centered on Blanche's handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his role in establishing Trump's $1.8bn (£1.3bn) "anti-weaponisation" fund, which critics feared would compensate individuals prosecuted over the 6 January Capitol attack
- Blanche pledged to walk back the fund after Republican blowback during his confirmation hearings, though it remains unclear whether the commitment is legally binding or whether Trump could revive a similar scheme
- Murkowski cited her lack of confidence in Blanche's ability to "check the worst impulses of this administration" and concerns about the "politicisation" of the justice department
Why it matters: Blanche now leads the Justice Department with a one-vote margin of confirmation and unresolved questions about a $1.8bn fund critics tied to January 6 defendants. His closeness to Trump — he was the president's personal lawyer — combined with Murkowski's warning that he may not "check the worst impulses" of the administration, raises immediate stakes for DOJ independence and enforcement priorities.
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