Todd Blanche is sworn in as attorney general after bruising confirmation
fight
[August 11, 2026]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd
Blanche, was sworn in Monday as attorney general after a bruising
confirmation fight that exposed bipartisan concerns about the Justice
Department's direction under the Republican president.
Another former Trump attorney — Emil Bove, now a federal appeals court
judge — administered the oath of office to Blanche at the White House
following early Saturday's Senate confirmation vote by the narrowest of
margins. Shortly after, the newly sworn-in attorney general arrived at
Justice Department headquarters to cheers from employees lined up along
the entrance.
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in New York, is officially taking
command of a Justice Department he has been leading in an acting
capacity since Pam Bondi's firing in April.
With the confirmation battle behind him, Blanche now faces the challenge
of having to navigate the demands of a president who has made no secret
his desire to use the law enforcement agency to target his political
foes. Blanche will do so with an agency that has been hollowed out by
resignations, firings and voluntary departures while also confronting
mounting pushback from the courts.
Blanche was confirmed in a 50-49 vote, opposed by two Republicans who
cited concerns about what they described as increased politicization of
the department under Trump.
Under deputy attorney general and later as acting attorney general,
Blanche has overseen the investigations of numerous Trump foes,
including former FBI Director James Comey, whom the Justice Department
indicted in April for a second time since Trump returned to the White
House last year.
Blanche has strongly defended the Trump administration against
accusations that it has weaponized the Justice Department. Blanche has
said he feels no pressure to placate Trump and insists he sees no
problem with the president's interest in Justice Department matters,
calling it the president's “right” and “his duty.”
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, is joined by Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Ambassador
Michael C. Gonzales, left, during a news conference at the
Department of Justice, Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Washington. (AP
Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Blanche entered the president's orbit when he left his law firm in
2023 to represent Trump against multiple criminal cases, including
two brought by the Justice Department under Democratic President Joe
Biden. Blanche has said that experience afforded him a firsthand
look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal
justice system against Trump.
Blanche's defenders say the close relationship he developed with
Trump as his defense lawyer can make him more successful than Bondi
was at pushing back on the president's demands.
Blanche's nomination was almost scuttled over bipartisan concerns
about Trump's controversial settlement of his lawsuit against the
Internal Revenue Service. His nomination only moved forward after he
confirmed in writing, under pressure from Republicans, that the
administration was rescinding plans to create a $1.8 billion fund to
compensate Trump allies who believe they were wronged by the
department.
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