Overview
- The Senate approved Blanche 50-49 on Saturday, August 8, with Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining all Democrats in opposition.
- Blanche had served as acting attorney general since April after Pam Bondi's departure and is the former personal lawyer for President Trump who led his criminal defenses.
- He submitted written guarantees earlier in August that formally rescinded the $1.8 billion compensation fund and limited language that would have shielded the president from future IRS audits.
- Legal experts and some senators warn those written measures may not erase the underlying settlement because courts or the Treasury and IRS could still decide whether the original terms remain binding.
- As confirmed attorney general Blanche will have authority to continue the personnel reshaping of the Justice Department and to pursue high-profile investigations that critics say favor the president, a shift that will face tight political and legal challenges given the narrow Senate majority.