Trump’s DOJ Pick Nearly Lost His Own Party

The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche before sunrise in a 50-49 vote, giving President Trump’s former personal lawyer control of the Justice Department after a fierce fight over independence and political influence.

Quick Take

Blanche won confirmation on a razor-thin Senate vote after days of pressure and debate.
Republican holdouts turned on the nomination over the IRS settlement and the anti-weaponization fund.
Supporters say Blanche is focused on violent crime, fentanyl, immigration enforcement, and fraud.
Critics say his long tie to Trump makes true Justice Department independence hard to believe.

How the Senate Finished the Fight

The Senate voted early Saturday morning to confirm Blanche as attorney general, ending a long standoff that had put his nomination in doubt. According to the vote totals, Blanche cleared the chamber 50-49, with Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting no and Senator Bill Cassidy supplying the decisive support after signaling he believed Blanche was the best option the president would put forward.

The confirmation followed a narrow committee vote earlier in the summer, when the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination 12-10 along party lines. That path gave the appointment the formal mark of Senate advice and consent, but it also showed how divided the chamber remained over whether Blanche could lead the department without bowing to political pressure.

For Trump allies, the result is a clean win that keeps control of the Justice Department in hands they trust. For critics, the same result raises the opposite warning: the country’s top law-enforcement office is now led by a man who spent years as Trump’s personal lawyer and defense attorney.

The Controversies That Nearly Broke the Nomination

Blanche’s confirmation fight centered on two flashpoints: a controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and a settlement tied to Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The Associated Press reported that Blanche issued an order saying there was “no Fund,” a move that helped calm two Republican holdouts, while the New York Times said the IRS deal nearly scuttled the nomination.

That is why many conservatives will read the vote as a test of whether the Justice Department is still an enforcement agency or has become a place where politics drives outcomes. Blanche’s defenders say he drew a hard line on the fund and showed he would focus on core law enforcement work instead of symbolic spending fights.

Why Supporters Say Blanche Was the Right Choice

Justice Department records show Blanche was already serving as acting attorney general while also holding the post of deputy attorney general, overseeing more than 100,000 employees across the department’s major law-enforcement branches. That background gives supporters an argument that he was not a newcomer, but an insider already running the machinery of federal law enforcement.

His allies also point to the department’s stated priorities under his watch. Blanche has emphasized violent crime, fentanyl trafficking, immigration enforcement, and fraud detection, which fits the law-and-order direction many Trump voters wanted back in charge. Supporters also cite crime data and enforcement actions as proof that the department has been moving in the right direction.

Senator Chuck Grassley praised Blanche’s focus on victims and violent crime, and other Republican backers said his written assurances helped them get comfortable with the nomination. To Trump supporters, that matters because it shows a nominee willing to answer tough questions while keeping the department aimed at public safety instead of progressive social policy.

Why Critics Still See a Conflict Problem

The strongest argument against Blanche is not abstract. It is personal. He is documented across multiple news outlets as Trump’s former personal lawyer, and that history makes every Justice Department decision look more political than it should.

Critics also point to the narrow vote itself. A 50-49 confirmation, paired with party-line committee approval, does not prove wrongdoing. It does show how little room there was for trust. In plain terms, the Senate confirmed Blanche, but it did not settle the larger question of whether the department can stay independent when led by one of Trump’s closest legal loyalists.

🚨 BREAKING: An overnight voting blitz in Washington ends with the Senate narrowly confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General in a 50-49 vote.

While a bipartisan spending bill was pushed through early Saturday morning,

President Trump’s urged SAVE America Act and college… pic.twitter.com/FCsDNhDIRO

— Mazi okwuoma (@MaziEzike_Nedu) August 8, 2026

That concern will not fade quickly. The public record now includes the fund dispute, the IRS settlement controversy, and the fact that Blanche rose from acting leadership to permanent confirmation while already overseeing the department. For voters who want a hard break from Washington games, the next test will be whether Blanche governs like a prosecutor or like a political shield.