Todd Blanche takes oath as attorney general

Todd Blanche was sworn in as U.S. attorney general at the White House on Monday, formally placing President Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer at the helm of the Justice Department after a narrow Senate confirmation vote.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted video of Blanche taking the oath of office in the Oval Office as Trump looked on. Judge Emil Bove, who served with Blanche on Trump’s legal defense team before being appointed to the federal bench, administered the oath.

“Congratulations to a great lawyer and an even better man!!!” Leavitt wrote on social media after the ceremony, The Guardian reported.

Blanche, 52, had been serving as acting attorney general since April, following Pam Bondi’s ouster. He previously served as deputy attorney general and was formally nominated in June to become the nation’s top law enforcement official. He is the second Senate-confirmed attorney general of Trump’s second term, after Bondi.

The Senate confirmed Blanche early Saturday morning, voting 50-49 after a marathon overnight session before lawmakers left for their August recess. Every Democrat opposed the nomination, as did Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Blanche’s path to confirmation had appeared uncertain for weeks. Democrats had pledged to oppose him, and several Republicans raised concerns, including over the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which was intended to provide payouts to people who alleged they were wronged by the federal government. Blanche testified in June that the fund was “dead,” but some Republican senators remained concerned. Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina dropped their opposition last week after Blanche issued an order rescinding the directive that established the fund.

The decisive vote came from Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who announced Friday on the Senate floor that he would support Blanche. Cassidy later said the choice was not a “black or white decision.”

“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said. “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 rose to prominence in Trump’s circle after joining his legal defense team in 2023, when Trump was indicted in New York in a case related to “hush money” payments to Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts in May 2024. Blanche also represented Trump in other criminal matters before joining the administration in early 2025.

The Guardian reported that since becoming acting attorney general, Blanche has overseen the departure of more than 200 prosecutors and agents who worked on Trump-related investigations, advanced broad views of presidential power and faced courtroom setbacks, including a ruling in which a federal judge referred findings to bar authorities considering disciplinary action against him.

The Guardian also reported that Bondi’s tenure was marked by controversy over the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, with lawmakers continuing to press for full release of records and Democrats accusing Blanche of following Bondi’s approach toward survivors and Congress.

Blanche earned his law degree from Brooklyn Law School and clerked for two federal judges in New York. He later worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, joined WilmerHale in New York, then worked at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft until 2023, when he started Blanche Law.