The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Todd Blanche, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, to become US Attorney General on Tuesday, August 4. The 51-year-old, who has served as acting Attorney General since Pam Bondi's dismissal in April, cleared the committee by a vote of 12 to 10.
Vice President JD Vance congratulated Blanche on the step, saying he would continue to serve the American people and the Trump administration loyally.
Republican holdouts demanded guarantees
The nomination had stalled over demands from two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, whose votes were essential. They sought written guarantees that the Trump administration would permanently abandon an "anti-weaponization" fund meant to financially compensate Trump allies prosecuted under the Biden administration.
They also demanded restrictions on who could receive tax immunity for the Trump family, insisting any such immunity apply only retroactively. The standoff had led Trump to consider delaying the nomination until after the November midterm elections.
Senate expected to confirm within days
Facing the blockage, Blanche issued an order over the weekend addressing the senators' main demands. The order states that the roughly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" justice fund is canceled.
Blanche also released a separate document clarifying the terms of a disputed tax immunity arrangement for the president and his relatives. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to give final approval to his nomination before the end of the week.
Democrats voice opposition
The Democratic minority has repeatedly voiced disapproval of Blanche, viewing him as one of the leading figures in the Trump administration's campaign of retaliation against the president's opponents.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said ahead of Tuesday's vote that the Attorney General is supposed to be the people's lawyer, but that Blanche continues to operate as the president's personal lawyer, using the Justice Department as a firm serving only one client: the president.
A telling slip of the tongue
Asked about his friendship with the president during his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Blanche made a slip, saying "I am his lawyer" about Trump before immediately correcting himself to say "I was his lawyer."
Blanche has also drawn criticism from victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who accuse him of a lack of transparency and incompetence in handling the release of the investigative file on the sex offender.
Before joining the Justice Department last year, Blanche was part of Trump's legal team during his New York trial over concealed payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, as well as in two federal cases in which the Republican was prosecuted.
