Senate confirms Todd Blanche as attorney general in 50-49 vote
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the 88th U.S. attorney general in a 50-49 vote in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 8, 2026. All Senate Democrats and two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted against him. The vote gave the Justice Department a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time since Pam Bondi left the post in April.
Blanche, who served as President Trump's personal attorney beginning in 2023 and later as acting attorney general after Pam Bondi's departure, was elevated to lead a department of more than 100,000 employees. His confirmation came during a rare overnight Senate session before the chamber departed for the August recess, alongside a government-funding vote and a Russia sanctions bill.
The path to confirmation was in doubt for weeks, hinging on the fate of the Justice Department's Anti-Weaponization Fund — a roughly $1.8 billion fund created as part of a settlement between Trump and the IRS over the president's leaked tax returns, intended to compensate people who alleged the federal government had been used against them. Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, both outgoing Judiciary Committee members, withheld their support until Blanche provided a written statement on August 2 declaring the fund "rescinded and shall have no force or effect." A second written statement the same day clarified that IRS audit protections tied to the Trump-IRS settlement apply only retroactively and are limited to Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization.
The decisive vote came from Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who announced his support on the Senate floor Friday after days of silence. Cassidy, who lost his renomination bid to a Trump-backed challenger, acknowledged concerns about Blanche's judgment and described the DOJ's suits against the president's perceived political opponents as troubling. He said his choice was not between a perfect nominee and Blanche, but between Blanche and an acting attorney general who "may not run the department effectively." According to the Washington Examiner, Cassidy also cited conversations with former Attorney General Bill Barr in reaching his decision.