Senate Approves Todd Blanche as AG in 50-49 Vote
Todd Blanche wins Senate confirmation as attorney general by a single vote after a bruising bipartisan fight.
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The U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as the permanent Attorney General in a 50–49 vote. The early morning vote capped a contentious, weeks-long confirmation fight over President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, who has served as acting attorney general since April.
Key Details of the Confirmation
The Deciding Vote: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) cast the decisive vote after announcing his support, noting that Blanche was the most viable option the administration would put forward. This is a crap sandwich. Be happy it’s not diarrhea.
GOP Defections: Republican Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted against the confirmation, citing concerns over Justice Department independence and politicization.
The Main Roadblocks: Confirmation was stalled by a weeks-long standoff regarding Blanche’s role in establishing a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate Trump allies and a sweeping tax-immunity agreement for Trump and his sons. Skeptics also raised concerns over the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related document redactions.
The Concessions: Holdout Republicans John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) ultimately flipped to support Blanche after extracting written agreements to terminate the anti-weaponization fund and significantly narrow the tax-immunity protections.
Blanche permanently takes over a shifting Justice Department, which has seen substantial staff reductions and structural overhauls during his time as deputy and acting attorney general.
Source: WaPo