Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed by Senate as US attorney general

The US Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general by a narrow vote of 50-49. Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, was confirmed despite opposition from Democrats and two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. According to The Guardian US, Blanche was involved in a controversy over a $1.8 billion slush fund.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote in Blanche's favor. PBS NewsHour reported that this confirmation makes Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies. All Democrats voted against Blanche's nomination, as did Republican senators Collins and Murkowski, while Cassidy and the rest of his GOP colleagues voted in favor.

ABC News (US) provided details on the voting process, stating that the vote took place early on Saturday and was gaveled down at 4:31 a.m., with light applause in the chamber. Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, was absent from the vote. Blanche's confirmation is seen as a major win for Trump, who will now have his former lawyer sitting atop the nation's law enforcement apparatus.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian US, Times of India, PBS NewsHour, CBS News, ABC News (US) — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.