Todd Blanche Sworn In as Attorney General

The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer in a pre-dawn vote Saturday.

Then acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at a news conference in Washington on Aug. 5, 2026. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was sworn in Monday as U.S. attorney general and now formally takes the helm of the Justice Department.

Judge Emil Bove, a federal appeals court judge and former member of Trump’s legal defense team, administered the oath in a closed Oval Office ceremony that the president attended. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later shared a video of the event.

In a predawn vote Saturday, the Senate narrowly confirmed Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States.

The 50–49 vote took place shortly after 4 a.m.

Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, sided with Democrats in voting no. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, still recovering from health issues, was absent.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana gave the decisive yes vote. The Louisiana Republican, who had expressed doubts about the department’s direction, told colleagues Friday that Blanche represented a sensible appointment under the current administration.

“The choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said on the Senate floor. “It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.”

Blanche had already been running the department in an acting capacity since April, when Trump removed Pam Bondi from the post. He served previously as deputy attorney general, running day-to-day operations after the Senate confirmed him to that role earlier. A former federal prosecutor who later represented Trump in several criminal cases, Blanche stepped away from private practice to join the administration.

His permanent confirmation proved difficult to obtain. Several Republican senators expressed unease over the department’s oversight of Jeffrey Epstein-related records, the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, and a related tax-immunity agreement involving the president, his family, and their businesses.

Blanche and department officials ultimately agreed in writing to end the anti-weaponization fund and narrow the scope of the tax arrangement in exchange for enough Republican support.

Murkowski pointed to decisions she believed suggested insufficient independence. Collins said Blanche is a capable lawyer but remained conflicted over the apparent politicization of the Justice Department.

Blanche posted a statement thanking the Senate.

“I am 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 wrote. “I am grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process.”

After the vote, senators left Washington for a five-week recess.