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Senate Confirms Trump's Ex-Lawyer Todd Blanche as Attorney General in Tight Vote

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • The U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as the new Attorney General, with a 50-49 vote.
  • Blanche, former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, faced opposition from Democrats and two Republicans concerned about his independence from the president.
  • The confirmation process was lengthy, concluding late Friday night after extensive debate.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the new Attorney General, following a closely contested vote of 50-49. Blanche, who previously served as Donald Trump's personal attorney, was nominated by the president himself and had been acting as interim Attorney General since April.

I am deeply honored by the trust and conviction that President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice.

— Todd BlancheBlanche's initial reaction following his confirmation as Attorney General.

The confirmation vote concluded late Friday night after a lengthy Senate session. "I am deeply honored by the trust and conviction that President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice," Blanche stated in an initial reaction on X. He also expressed gratitude to the Senate for staying late to finalize the process and thanked the "dedicated public servants" of the Justice Department.

Blanche succeeds Pam Bondi, whose departure in April was linked to her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Blanche then stepped into the role of deputy attorney general before Trump officially nominated him for the top position, pending Senate approval. The narrow victory highlights significant divisions, with all Democrats voting against him and two Republicans, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, also opposing the nomination. These Republicans reportedly fear the Justice Department will become even more dependent on the president under Blanche's leadership.

I am grateful to the Senate for staying up late to complete this process.

— Todd BlancheBlanche thanking the Senate for their work on his confirmation.

The senators' distrust stems from Blanche's close personal relationship with Trump. As Trump's former lawyer, Blanche represented him in legal matters, including a lawsuit related to Daniels, which Trump lost. Despite this, Trump was reportedly impressed by Blanche's approach. After winning the election, Trump appointed Blanche as the second-in-command at the Justice Department. Under his tenure, the department initiated investigations and lawsuits against Trump's opponents, and a controversial compensation fund was established for "victims of the American judiciary."

To the dedicated public servants of the Department of Justice: thank you for your daily work to uphold the law and keep our country safe. God bless America.

— Todd BlancheBlanche addressing the Justice Department staff.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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