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US Senate confirms Trump's ex-lawyer Todd Blanche as Attorney General
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Elections & Politics

US Senate confirms Trump's ex-lawyer Todd Blanche as Attorney General

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • The U.S. Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, former lawyer for Donald Trump, as the new Attorney General by a narrow 50-49 vote.
  • Two Republican senators joined Democrats in opposing Blanche's nomination, citing concerns about the politicization of the Justice Department.
  • Blanche, who served as interim Attorney General since April, had to formally withdraw a controversial $1.8 billion fund he created to compensate individuals allegedly subjected to unfair judicial persecution under the Biden administration.

Todd Blanche, a former personal attorney for ex-President Donald Trump, has been confirmed as the new U.S. Attorney General. The Senate approved his nomination by a slim 50-49 vote, overcoming resistance from within the Republican party.

The new attorney general was confirmed after leading the U.S. delegation this Friday in Colombia at the inauguration ceremony of Abelardo De la Espriella as the new Colombian president.

— EFEReporting on Blanche's activities prior to confirmation.

Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both Republicans, joined the Democratic opposition. They expressed concerns that Blanche would politicize the Department of Justice. Blanche had been serving as interim Attorney General since April, following the dismissal of Pam Bondi.

His confirmation faced hurdles due to a $1.8 billion fund he established in May. This fund aimed to compensate individuals allegedly targeted by unfair judicial actions during the Biden administration, including those involved in the January 6 Capitol assault. The fund, criticized by some Republicans, was suspended by courts. Blanche formally withdrew it on August 3 to secure his confirmation.

Blanche announced the creation of a fund of about $1.8 billion to compensate people who, according to the Trump administration, were victims of unfair judicial persecution during the Joe Biden administration (2021-2025), including those involved in the assault on the Capitol in 2021.

— EFEDescribing the controversial fund created by Blanche.

Blanche, born in Denver in 1974, previously worked as a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He represented Trump in high-profile cases, including the New York trial concerning hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and federal cases involving classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Democrats accuse him of undermining the Justice Department's independence, citing his role in pursuing charges against former FBI Director James Comey and investigating unsubstantiated fraud claims from 2020.

Blanche had to formally withdraw the fund on August 3 to unblock his confirmation in the Senate, given that Republicans John Cornyn and Thom Tillis had blocked his nomination.

— EFEExplaining the action taken by Blanche to secure his confirmation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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