Senate Narrowly Confirms Trump Loyalist Todd Blanche as Attorney General Amid Deep Partisan Divide
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Todd Blanche, a staunch Trump ally with a controversial record, was confirmed as U.S. attorney general by a razor-thin 50-49 Senate vote, as two principled Republican senators joined Democrats in opposing his nomination.
In the early hours of Saturday, the Senate pushed through the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general by the slimmest of margins, 50 to 49—a stark reflection of the deep partisan rift and the alarming normalization of Trump loyalists in positions of power. Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska broke ranks, standing with all Democrats in a rare act of conscience against the appointment of a figure deeply enmeshed in the Trump administration’s most controversial legal maneuvers.
Blanche, whose tenure as deputy attorney general during Trump’s second administration was marked by efforts to shield the former president and his inner circle, expressed gratitude on social media, lauding President Trump for his 'trust and confidence.' This public display underscores the ongoing politicization of the Department of Justice under Trump’s influence.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, echoing the administration’s triumphalism, called the confirmation 'a huge win for President Trump and our country,' and hailed Blanche as a 'phenomenal' attorney general—language that signals the further erosion of DOJ independence.
The confirmation was clinched only after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana sided with the majority, compensating for the opposition of Collins, Murkowski, and the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell. Blanche’s path to confirmation was paved by backroom deals with Republicans John Cornyn, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis, who extracted concessions: Blanche agreed to kill a $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund and to limit a sweeping tax-audit immunity agreement that would have shielded Trump, his family, and his businesses from scrutiny.
During his June Judiciary Committee hearing, Blanche declared the fund 'dead' and later formalized its cancellation, while narrowing the immunity deal to only cover claims from previously filed tax returns for Trump and his closest associates. These moves, clearly aimed at currying favor with Senate Republicans, raise serious questions about the department’s willingness to hold the powerful accountable.
Blanche’s record was further tainted by his role in the mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. He oversaw the release of over two million files, admitted to grave errors in exposing unredacted survivor information, and met with Epstein survivors—an act many saw as a hollow gesture designed to win over skeptical senators rather than deliver justice.
The razor-thin vote exposes the Senate’s deep polarization over Blanche’s history of defending Trump in criminal and civil cases, and amplifies concerns about the DOJ’s independence and its disturbing trajectory under Trump’s continued shadow.