Blanche confirmation allows Trump to continue ‘pervasive, breathtaking corruption’, says Schumer – US politics live

Senate Confirms Todd Blanche as Attorney General in 50-49 Vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday by a 50-49 margin, installing President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer as the permanent head of the Justice Department. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all Democrats in opposing the nomination. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote after previously expressing reservations.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Republicans had “handed Trump an excuse on a silver platter” to continue what he described as corruption by confirming Blanche. Schumer wrote on X that placing the president’s personal attorney in the role created an inherent conflict and that senators who supported confirmation had aligned themselves with that arrangement. He added that Democrats would continue opposing administration actions they viewed as undermining the rule of law.

All Democrats voted against the nomination. Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico described the confirmation as a strain on institutional checks and balances, citing concerns that the Justice Department would pursue retribution and limit accountability in matters including the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.

Blanche, who left a private law partnership in 2023 to represent Trump, had served as acting attorney general since President Trump dismissed Pam Bondi in April. During his confirmation hearing, Blanche initially declined personal meetings with Epstein survivors but later agreed to one. Survivors reported receiving limited information in that session. The department’s earlier release of Epstein files drew criticism for inconsistent redactions that both withheld material that should have been public and disclosed victim names that should have remained private.

Senator Dick Durbin, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said the attorney general’s role requires independence from any single client and argued that Blanche had continued to function primarily as the president’s representative. Republican senators raised questions about a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and provisions granting tax immunity to the president, his sons, and associated businesses. Blanche later rescinded the fund following internal Republican objections.

Cassidy had said in a radio interview the prior week that he needed assurance Blanche would operate as an attorney general who happened to have represented Trump rather than as Trump’s attorney now holding the office. On the Senate floor Friday, Cassidy stated the choice was between Blanche and an alternative acting attorney general who might prove less effective, and he voted in favor.

Under Blanche’s leadership as deputy and then acting attorney general, the department brought indictments against former FBI director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. It also initiated investigations involving Democratic senators Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona and examined matters related to former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Judges later dismissed the Comey and James cases on procedural grounds concerning the appointment of prosecutors. Scores of career Justice Department attorneys departed during this period, and courts in multiple districts issued rebukes for misrepresentations made by department lawyers.

Blanche said after confirmation that he was honored by the Senate’s action and thanked President Trump for the appointment. The narrow vote occurred after extended negotiations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, President Trump, and Senate conservatives agreed to delay a vote on a budget resolution and to address portions of the SAVE America Act after the five-week recess. Earlier demands for immediate passage of a proof-of-citizenship voting bill were set aside in favor of incorporating related measures into a later package that would also address funding for the Pentagon and other priorities.

The confirmation process highlighted ongoing tensions over the scope of presidential authority relative to the legislative branch. The Constitution assigns distinct roles to each branch, with the legislative branch holding powers that include oversight of executive appointments. Democrats argued the nomination tested those boundaries; supporters maintained that the Senate had exercised its constitutional advice-and-consent function by conducting hearings and recording a recorded vote.

Additional reporting noted separate U.S. embassy grant programs in London offering up to $500,000 for public-education initiatives focused on shared U.S.-UK values, including freedom of speech and limited government. Those programs drew separate criticism from observers who viewed them as potential involvement in British domestic debates over speech and immigration policy.

The Senate is scheduled to reconvene in September, at which point further action on voting legislation and appropriations measures is expected.