Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s nominee for the position of United States Attorney General, vacant for almost five months, was officially appointed early Saturday after narrowly passing the full Senate vote, 50 to 49. The process in the Capitol was nerve-wracking. Republicans hold a slim majority of 53 to 47, but one Republican legislator is on medical leave and two others announced they would vote against Blanche because they believe his rise will further politicize the Department of Justice and use it more as a tool for Trump’s personal goals.
All eyes were on Bill Cassidy, Republican senator from Louisiana, who is at odds with Trump after the Republican leader supported his rival in the party primaries for the midterm elections. Cassidy lost the conservative nomination and will be forced to leave politics next November. During the week, he made it clear he would not support Blanche, being a Trump candidate.
Despite threats and disappointment over the lack of trust, Cassidy has remained loyal to the Republicans. “This is not a referendum on President Trump,” Cassidy said on the Senate floor. “It is a decision about Mr. Blanche. I will vote for Mr. Blanche.”
Blanche’s nomination is seen as an effort by Trump to tighten control over the judiciary. The new attorney general was the president’s private lawyer in the case of the bribe to porn actress Stormy Daniels. He also represented the New York magnate in the two cases opened by special prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged electoral manipulation after the 2020 elections, which he lost to Joe Biden.
Blanche will fill the position left vacant by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was dismissed in early April due to the chaotic handling of the declassification of Jeffrey Epstein’s files and the lack of decisiveness in Trump’s judicial offensive against his political rivals.
Blanche’s nomination has been full of ups and downs. The final vote in the Senate was expected to be complicated after two Republican senators, Susan Collins (Republican from Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Republican from Alaska), announced they would vote against it. The Republican majority seemed extremely fragile because, in addition, it had Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) on medical leave.
Collins, who is in the middle of an election campaign to renew her seat for Maine, warned on Thursday, after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Blanche’s candidacy, that she would vote against it. “Although I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” the Maine senator wrote on social media. “Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis of my vote to oppose his confirmation,” she added.
I have had numerous constructive meetings with Mr. Blanche and he comes across as decent and capable. I appreciate the trip he made to learn more about Alaska, including our rural areas, and as Acting Attorney General he has made several noteworthy decisions that will benefit our…
Read more Rodri changes direction: from his approach to Madrid to finalizing his signing for Barça
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) August 7, 2026
Murkowski, for her part, stated this Friday: “The politicization, even the instrumentalization, of the Department did not start with this administration, but it has accelerated during it,” she wrote on X before listing the issues she believes the department has poorly managed: “I have problems with the handling of the release of Epstein’s files; the broad immunity protections granted to the president, his family, and his businesses; the statements made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated prosecution of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. senators.”
Murkowski has had repeated disagreements with the president. She voted against the SAVE Act, with which the White House wants to limit voting for millions of citizens, and has also opposed other Trump initiatives.
So Cassidy’s vote was decisive. “I will be criticized for this vote. What’s new?” Cassidy said with a choked voice, reading a document. “The people of Louisiana can be sure that I work hard to understand the problem and make the decision,” he said visibly moved.
Before the final vote in the full Congress, Blanche had to make several concessions to gain the support of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He renounced in writing the creation of the millionaire compensation fund, endowed with 1.8 billion, for Trump’s friends and allies who felt persecuted by the previous administration. Among them were the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, trying to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory. Blanche also committed to limiting the tax immunity for Trump, his family, and his businesses that the Department of Justice agreed with the IRS, the U.S. tax authority, in exchange for the president withdrawing the $10 billion lawsuit for the leak of his taxes in a case accusing him of tax fraud.
Republican senators John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) lifted the veto they had imposed on Blanche in the Senate Judiciary Committee after the attorney general published on X the two documents with commitments about the compensation fund and Trump’s immunity.
The problems with Blanche’s nomination reflect growing concern among Republicans about White House interference in the Department of Justice. It also shows the parliamentary fragility of the Republicans and the discomfort of several conservative legislators after Trump’s continuous attacks for not showing loyalty and rejecting some of his most controversial measures.
Trump said this Thursday in an interview with Punchbowl News that if the Senate does not confirm Blanche “it would be very sad.” And he added: “The only thing I can say is that he is a great gentleman, a great person. He is excellent at what he does, we all agree,” he said. “If they don’t agree to do what they have to do, it would be very sad. And we will all move forward. Todd will move forward.”
Read more Is it legal for restaurants to ban entry to ‘influencers’?