Todd Blanche Sworn In as Attorney General After Narrow Vote
Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was sworn in as U.S. Attorney General on Monday in a private ceremony at the White House Oval Office, cementing the president’s control over the Justice Department after a bruising confirmation fight that exposed deep bipartisan concerns about the agency’s direction.
Judge Emil Bove, another former Trump attorney who now serves as a federal appeals court judge, administered the oath of office. Shortly after, the newly sworn-in attorney general arrived at Justice Department headquarters to cheers from employees lined up along the entrance, according to AP News.
A Narrow Confirmation
The Senate confirmed Blanche in a 50-49 vote early Saturday morning, August 8, in one of the most contentious cabinet confirmations in recent memory. Two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined all Democrats in opposing his nomination, reflecting rare bipartisan unease about the direction of the department under Trump.
Murkowski said the country needs an attorney general “who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” adding, “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case,” as NPR reported.
The decisive vote came from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche’s confirmation was thrown into doubt. “This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy said, acknowledging concerns over Blanche’s judgment while arguing that no other nominee might run the department better under Trump.
The IRS Settlement Controversy
Blanche’s path to confirmation was nearly derailed over bipartisan concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns. The settlement called for the creation of a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
The settlement drew intense scrutiny from both parties, with a federal judge slamming the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing. Under pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Blanche formally rescinded the fund in writing on August 2, and the Justice Department clarified that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement, as AP News reported.
Despite those assurances, skeptics remained. “These assurances are not worth the paper they’re written on,” Brandon DeBot, policy director at the Tax Law Center at NYU Law, told NPR. Trump himself has defended the fund, telling reporters, “I view that fund as a positive, and a lot of Republicans do too.”
From Defense Lawyer to Top Prosecutor
Blanche, 52, first entered the president’s orbit in 2023 when he left his law firm to represent Trump against multiple criminal cases, including two brought by the Justice Department under Democratic President Joe Biden. A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche rose to public prominence as a lead attorney on Trump’s defense team, including during the Republican’s hush money trial in New York.
He joined the Justice Department as deputy attorney general in early 2025 under Pam Bondi before being elevated to acting attorney general when Trump fired Bondi in April 2026. Blanche said his experience defending Trump afforded him a firsthand look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against the president.
A Department in Turmoil
Since taking over as acting attorney general, Blanche has presided over a period of unprecedented upheaval at the Justice Department. More than 200 prosecutors and agents who worked on Trump-related investigations have departed since he took the helm, and the department has lost thousands of employees through firings, resignations, or voluntary departures under Bondi and Blanche’s leadership.
Blanche has moved swiftly to advance the president’s agenda, accelerating investigations into Trump’s perceived political foes. Shortly after taking the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict former FBI Director James Comey on charges of threatening the president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.” Comey’s lawyers are pressing to have the case dismissed, accusing the department of misleading judges and withholding key facts.
Blanche also appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump. He has overseen the release of millions of investigative files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, though he met with Epstein survivors for the first time only last month — and survivors urged senators to block his nomination afterward.
Analysis: A Test of Independence
Blanche’s confirmation represents a pivotal moment in Trump’s efforts to reshape the Justice Department. As the president’s former personal defense lawyer, Blanche has a unique relationship with Trump that his supporters argue makes him better equipped than Bondi to push back on unreasonable demands. Sen. John Cornyn said Trump needs someone “close enough to him to give him confidential legal advice to tell him hard truths.”
Critics, however, see a different dynamic. “Todd Blanche claims he was Donald Trump’s personal attorney but is continuing to act as if he’s still Donald Trump’s personal attorney,” Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California told NPR. “The American people deserve better.”
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned that confirming Blanche would be a “serious mistake,” saying, “If there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it’s right now.”
The Justice Department has also faced mounting pushback from the courts, with federal judges repeatedly expressing concerns about the administration’s compliance with court orders and the accuracy of its representations in court. The department has defended its track record and accused judges of overstepping their authority.
What’s Next
Blanche now officially takes command of a department that has been hollowed out by departures while confronting mounting legal and institutional challenges. The narrow confirmation margin — with two Republicans voting against a president of their own party’s nominee — highlights the unprecedented nature of the situation.
It remains unclear whether Blanche will fare any better than Bondi in delivering on Trump’s desire for retribution while maintaining the department’s credibility. His supporters point to the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom as evidence he can navigate the president’s demands; his critics see a loyalist who has already demonstrated a willingness to prioritize allegiance to Trump above all else.
As The Guardian noted, Blanche’s swearing-in “cements Donald Trump’s installation of his former personal attorney in charge of the Department of Justice.” The coming months will test whether the department’s historic independence can survive under a leader whose primary qualification may be his closeness to the president.