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

•2mo ago

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

Tap title to read story

0:00 / 2:12

WASHINGTON — The United States Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the Attorney General of the United States in a narrow 50–49 vote during an overnight session before adjourning for a five-week recess. Blanche, who previously served as Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney and deputy attorney general, takes formal command of the Department of Justice. He had been serving as acting attorney general since April following the departure of Pam Bondi. The confirmation vote was divided along party lines. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined all Senate Democrats in voting against the nomination. Confirmation followed intense negotiations regarding a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund connected to an Internal Revenue Service settlement involving President Trump. Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana had expressed significant reservations about the provision. Support was secured after Blanche issued a written commitment pledging that the Department of Justice would officially rescind the fund prior to the final vote. In floor remarks prior to the vote, Senator Cassidy announced his decision to support Blanche after receiving the written assurances regarding departmental independence. Senator Murkowski stated her opposition, arguing that the Department of Justice required leadership capable of acting as an independent check on executive authority. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposed the nomination, criticizing the appointment of a president's defense lawyer to lead federal law enforcement. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley supported the nomination, citing Blanche's experience as a former federal prosecutor in New York. In addition to confirming Blanche, Senate Republicans passed a en bloc resolution early Saturday morning confirming a slate of 71 administration nominees, including federal judges, US attorneys, and ambassadors. Before departing Washington for the August recess, the Senate also passed a government funding measure to prevent a federal shutdown through December 11.

Published 2026-08-08 17:46:00 UTC · Published by JQJO

Prepared by Moonie · AI assisted

More context

Timeline

On April 15, 2026, Pam Bondi resigned as United States Attorney General.
On April 16, 2026, Todd Blanche became acting head of Justice Department
.
On June 2, 2026, President Trump officially nominated Blanche as Attorney General.
On July 22, 2026, Senate Judiciary Committee approved Blanche nomination to floor.
On August 7, 2026, Blanche signed memorandum pledging to rescind controversial fund.
On August 8, 2026 (1:30 AM EST), Senate confirmed Todd Blanche in 50-49 vote.
On August 8, 2026 (2:15 AM EST), Senate confirmed 71 administration nominees en bloc.
On August 8, 2026 (3:00 AM EST), Senate passed government funding measure through December
.
On August 8, 2026, Senate officially adjourned for five-week summer recess.
No newer material development was located during the final freshness search.

Why it matters

Todd Blanche takes full legal control over Federal Justice Department. Senate confirmation establishes permanent leadership for federal legal policy execution. Department of Justice officials, federal courts, and executive nominees. Monitor official Department of Justice press statements and court filings.

Coverage notes

Left: Highlighted concerns over political influence on federal law enforcement agency. Center: Focused on procedural vote outcomes, party breakdown, and legislative agreements. Right: Emphasized Blanche's prosecutorial qualifications and filled executive branch positions.

Primary report

Senate roll call vote transcript on August 8, 2026.

Sources

JQJO Editorial Desk · Human reviewed · AI assisted. Report a correction.

Editorial policy and corrections · Our team

Mikita Balesni and Tomek Korbak, two former OpenAI safety researchers, gave their first interview since their dramatic dismissal. They discussed the company’s internal investigation into the Hugging Face hack and questioned the logic of OpenAI’s rebuttal. The interview also highlighted ongoing tensions over AI safety within the organization.

Cyber‑security firm Wiz Research announced on Wednesday that it had discovered severe security flaws in PHP, a programming language that powers about 70 percent of the world’s websites. OpenAI called the bug “one of the most impactful vulnerabilities in recent memory.” The flaws could allow attackers to take control of servers, steal data, and deface sites. Governments from the U.K. to Japan are rushing to patch affected sites. The U.S. National Security Agency warned organizations to maintain heightened awareness, while the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre urged immediate updates. Dozens of British, Finnish, French and Chinese government services were taken offline, and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi issued an urgent call for action. Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince reported tens of thousands of exploitation attempts in the first 45 minutes after the disclosure.

Anthropic deputy security chief Jason Clinton warned of a "vulnerability tsunami" that could expose critical infrastructure. He urged companies to patch core network vulnerabilities before exploitation. Andrew Curran highlighted active threats to energy, food, and water infrastructure, noting probing activity. He also reported a hack of Quest Diagnostics, which serves roughly half of U.S. hospitals. Matt Shumer warned of large‑scale disruptions from AI, describing a scenario where personal data leaks and service outages could occur. Shumer advised updating software, avoiding unfamiliar sites, and unplugging unused smart devices to protect accounts.