Todd Blance, the US attorney general, thumbs up as he arrives at the presidential inauguration event at Arena USC on August 7, 2026 in Cali, Colombia. Abelardo de la Espriella takes office after a tight win in the presidential election. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images)
Todd Blanche, the U.S. attorney general, thumbs up as he arrives at the presidential inauguration event at Arena USC on August 7, 2026, in Cali, Colombia. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:30 AM – Saturday, August 8, 2026

President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ), Todd Blanche, has been confirmed by the Senate as the new U.S. attorney general despite uncertainty among Republicans about his ability to be impartial after previously serving as Trump's personal defense lawyer.

On Saturday, the upper chamber narrowly confirmed Blanche in a 50-49 mostly party-line vote, with two GOP senators, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), siding with all Senate Democrats to oppose him.

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski had said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."

 

"While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," said Collins. "Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation."

A late-night session on Friday ran into the early hours of Saturday, leading the vote to be held after 4:00 a.m., as the Senate prepares for a recess this month.

"I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice as our great nation's 88th Attorney General," Blanche said in a post on X, adding, "I am grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process."

 

GOP Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) previously held out on Blanche due to concerns over his role in rolling out a nearly $2 billion fund and support for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) immunity for the Trump family. They later decided to side with their party; however, Cassidy made a last-minute decision that opened the door for Blanche after realizing that a Senate-confirmed attorney general would be better than a placeholder.

"Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this," Cassidy said on the Senate floor. "But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general, who may not run the department effectively under President Trump."

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