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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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Todd Blanche's uphill battle to be confirmed as attorney general ended on Saturday with a 50-49 vote in the Senate, after President Donald Trump's former lawyer managed to win key Republican support.
Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was removed from the role in April, which Trump announced after mounting frustration over the way she handled the Jeffrey Epstein files.
But Blanche's confirmation as attorney general remained uncertain for weeks in the lead-up to Saturday's vote, with senators from both parties expressing concerns over his previous work as the president's personal lawyer and his role in a contentious IRS settlement deal.
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Blanche's narrow victory came at 4 a.m. on Saturday as a late-night session continued into the early hours. The vote was delivered mostly along party lines, with only two Republican senators joining Democrats to vote against his confirmation.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek in a statement: “Todd Blanche’s confirmation is a huge win for President Trump and our country. Todd is going to be a phenomenal Attorney General of the United States. The American people will be well served by his unwavering commitment to law and order.”
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Which Senators Voted Against Blanche’s Confirmation?
All Democratic and independent senators voted against Blanche's confirmation. They are:
- Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland
- Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Michael Bennet of Colorado
- Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
- Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware
- Cory Booker of New Jersey
- Maria Cantwell of Washington
- Chris Coons of Delaware
- Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
- Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- Dick Durbin of Illinois
- Ruben Gallego of Arizona
- Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Martin Heinrich of New Mexico
- John Hickenlooper of Colorado
- Mazie Hirono of Hawaii
- Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Andy Kim of New Jersey
- Angus King of Maine
- Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico
- Ed Markey of Massachusetts
- Jeff Merkley of Oregon
- Chris Murphy of Connecticut
- Patty Murray of Washington
- Jon Ossoff of Georgia
- Alex Padilla of California
- Gary Peters of Michigan
- Jack Reed of Rhode Island
- Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Bernie Sanders of Vermont
- Brian Schatz of Hawaii
- Adam Schiff of California
- Chuck Schumer of New York
- Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
- Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
- Tina Smith of Minnesota
- Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
- Mark Warner of Virginia
- Raphael Warnock of Georgia
- Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Peter Welch of Vermont
- Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
- Ron Wyden of Oregon
Two Republican moderates joined them to vote against Blanche:
- Susan Collins of Maine
- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Both have cited concerns over his actions as acting attorney general and his handling of several high-profile controversies as their motivation to vote against his confirmation.
Several Democrats criticized Blanche's confirmation after the vote, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who argued Republicans had compromised the Justice Department's independence by elevating one of Trump's former defense lawyers to the nation's top law-enforcement post.
Newsweek contacted Senators Collins' and Murkowski's offices for comment by email on Saturday morning.
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Other Republicans who had previously held out against Blanche—Senator Bill Cassidy and Senator Thom Tillis—agreed to back him after being reassured that he would rescind the controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
The fund was proposed as part of the now-voided settlement resolving Trump's lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax records. It would have provided a mechanism for people who claimed they had been unfairly targeted, investigated, or prosecuted by the federal government to seek compensation—potentially including January 6 rioters.
It was Cassidy’s support that ultimately gave Blanche the edge to win. The senator said that he had talked with former attorney general William Barr and was reassured that Blanche would not just act as a rubber stamp for Trump.
Why Did Collins and Murkowski Not Budge?
Neither Collins nor Murkowski could be swayed to support Blanche, though he needed just one more vote to be confirmed.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Collins described Blanche as a "capable lawyer" but argued that his nomination reflected the increased politicization of the Justice Department.
"While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," she wrote. "Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation."
She then listed four specific objections to Blanche's confirmation, including:
- His approval of protections shielding Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization from IRS audits;
- His role in approving the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund;
- His reported promise to an anti-abortion group that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion medication nationwide;
- The Justice Department's attempt to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over what she described as constitutionally protected videos encouraging resistance to unlawful orders.
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Announcing her opposition, Murkowski said on Friday that Blanche was "decent and capable," attributing him responsibility for taking "several noteworthy decisions" as acting attorney general that benefited Alaska and the nation. But she added that she was troubled by what she described as the increasing politicization, and even "weaponization," of the Justice Department.
She pointed to the Justice Department's handling of the release of the Epstein files; immunity protections granted to Trump, his family and their businesses as part of the IRS settlement; as well as Blanche's reported comments to anti-abortion groups.
She also cast doubt on whether the Trump administration had completely abandoned its plan for the anti-weaponization fund, which could technically be revived through a legal loophole.
"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," the Alaska senator said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."
On Saturday, Trump shared a post on his social media profile on Truth Social which called Murkowski "a traitor" for voting against Blanche.
What Is Blanche Saying?
Following the Senate vote, Blanche wrote on X that he was "deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice as our great nation’s 88th Attorney General."
He added that he was "grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process."
Newsweek contacted the Attorney General's office for comment by email on Saturday morning.
Blanche’s confirmation was opposed by several progressive and democracy-focused groups across the country in the lead-up to the vote. After the confirmation, the first official statement condemning the Senate’s vote came from Donald K. Sherman, president and CEO of the nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
“With this vote, a majority of the Senate abdicated its constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on the executive, and instead helped President Trump craft a Justice Department that will serve him, not the American people,” he said in a statement. “It is disgusting and disheartening that the Senate majority is not only going along with Trump’s authoritarian wishes, but using their power to grant them, over and over again.”
He continued: “They know the consequences of this confirmation. If Blanche continues as he has done—and there is no reason to assume he will change course—the American people can expect more perks for Trump, more unjust prosecutions, more taxpayer-funded payouts to insurrectionists and Trump cronies and less transparency. That is the future the Senate has imposed on the American people. If their goal with this vote was to continue rolling out the red carpet for a wannabe king, they certainly accomplished it.”
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Matthew Robinson and Trevor Davies.
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