In brief
The Senate voted 50-49 at 4:17 AM Eastern on 8 August, with all Democrats and Republicans Murkowski and Collins opposed; McConnell was absent.
Senators Cornyn, Tillis and Cassidy threatened to oppose over a $1.8 billion compensation fund and Trump family tax immunity; Blanche gave written assurances to win them over.
Blanche, 52, is Trump's former criminal defense lawyer and has led the DOJ in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi was dismissed in April.
Leaked audio showed Blanche vowing to make the 2022 ruling overturning abortion rights permanent in every state; the DOJ said the comments concerned mail-order abortion drugs.
Prosecutors in Florida are working on a grand conspiracy investigation of former Obama- and Biden-era officials including former CIA director John Brennan.
- Early AugustBlanche submits written promises to Cornyn and Tillis on fund and IRS deal
- 7 AugCassidy announces support for Blanche
- 8 AugSenate confirms Blanche 50-49
Confirmation by a single vote
The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the 88th attorney general in a 50-49 vote held at 4:17 AM Eastern time on Saturday, 8 August. Every Democrat voted against, joined by Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was absent for health reasons. Blanche, 52, has led the Justice Department, which employs approximately 100,000 people, in an acting capacity since April, when President Donald Trump dismissed Pam Bondi from the post. He is Trump's former personal criminal defense lawyer.
Weeks of Republican resistance
Three Republican senators, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, John Cornyn of Texas, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, had threatened to withhold support over two disputed elements of a settlement tied to Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service: a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals the administration said were unjustly targeted during the Biden presidency, including some involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault, and a provision granting Trump and his family immunity from IRS tax audits. Blanche submitted written assurances the previous weekend that the fund would not be created and clarified the scope of the IRS deal. Cornyn and Tillis then backed him. Cassidy, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger, announced his support on Friday after conversations including with former attorney general William Barr.
“Mr Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, 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 and who indeed may not be as good as Mr Blanche.”
Abortion rights concerns
Reproductive health advocates warned that Blanche's confirmation threatens abortion access. Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, called the confirmation "a red alert for reproductive rights." Leaked audio obtained by Politico captured Blanche vowing to make the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the right to abortion "permanent in every single state." The Justice Department told The Independent the comments concerned mail-order abortion drugs, not broader federal control over states. Gowri Buddiga of the group Free & Just said Blanche had "openly vowed to use that power to ban abortion."
- Votes for
- 50 votes
- Votes against
- 49 votes
Data from the article text
Democratic opposition and what comes next
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans had "handed Trump an excuse on a silver platter" to continue what he called "pervasive, breathtaking corruption."
“If you want to wipe out corruption, you can't have the president's personal attorney as the attorney general. You don't need a PhD in political science to know that.”
The Justice Department faces charging decisions in politically sensitive cases. Prosecutors in Florida have been working on what Trump allies call a "grand conspiracy" investigation of former Obama- and Biden-era officials, including former CIA director John Brennan, who denies the allegations. Blanche, who was in Colombia on Friday leading the US delegation to the inauguration of Abelardo De la Espriella as head of state, said on social media he was "deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me."