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

Todd Blanche, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, has been confirmed as United States attorney general after a 50‑49 Senate vote. Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against him, while Senator Bill Cassidy provided the decisive vote after stating he believed Blanche was the champion enactment the president would enactment forward. Washington had awaited Cassidy’s decision amid years of tension between Trump and the senator. The confirmation ends a prolonged standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration over Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April. All Democrats opposed his nomination to head the Justice Department. Several Republican senators expressed concern over Blanche’s handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein‑related documents and his role in creating Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund, intended to compensate individuals alleging government persecution. Critics, including Murkowski, warned the fund could benefit those prosecuted for the January 6 attack on the Capitol. During his confirmation hearings, Blanche pledged to walk back the fund following pushback from Republican senators. It remains uncertain whether that pledge is legally binding or whether Trump could later re‑engage Blanche, his former personal counsel, to pursue a comparable initiative under a different name. Collins and Murkowski withheld their support, with Murkowski later saying she lacked confidence in Blanche to “check the worst impulses of this administration”. On Friday she announced she would oppose Blanche, citing worries about the “politicisation” of the justice department.