The United States Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as the new attorney general, delivering to Donald Trump one of the most controversial appointments of his second term. The former personal lawyer of the president was approved by a narrow margin, 50 votes in favor and 49 against, after a long political battle that highlighted divisions even within the Republican Party.
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The confirmation represents a significant victory for Trump, who thus sees a loyalist take the lead of the Department of Justice at a particularly delicate phase for the administration. Blanche, 52, had already served as interim attorney general after the dismissal of Pam Bondi and had previously been deputy attorney general. Before joining the administration, he became known mainly for defending Trump in the legal proceedings involving him in recent years.
The vote was anything but certain. Two moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, decided to oppose the nomination, expressing doubts about Blanche’s ability to maintain the independence of the Department of Justice from the White House. The vote of Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy proved decisive, allowing the candidate to reach the necessary majority.
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At the center of the objections were both the personal and professional ties between Blanche and Trump and some decisions made during his interim leadership of the Department of Justice. In particular, several Republican senators had initially blocked his confirmation process by requesting clarifications on a controversial fund of about 1.8 billion dollars intended to compensate alleged victims of “political instrumentalization” of federal institutions. To obtain approval, Blanche agreed to formally cancel the fund and to limit some aspects of a tax agreement concerning Trump and his family.
The reassurances were not enough to quell Democratic criticism. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced the appointment as a further step towards the politicization of the Department of Justice, arguing that Blanche’s confirmation risks compromising the independence of the agency responsible for enforcing federal law. Many observers also expressed concern that a former personal defender of the president is now leading the entire federal judicial apparatus.
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