US Senate confirms Trump’s ex-lawyer as attorney general

The US Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche, a former lawyer for President Trump, as the new Attorney General. The confirmation vote was 50-49, with two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joining all Democratic senators present in voting against him. Blanche has been serving in the role in an acting capacity since earlier this year.

Blanche's nomination was marked by controversy and opposition from Democrats, who expressed concerns about the politicization of the Justice Department. According to Axios, at one point, Trump threatened to keep Blanche as acting attorney general for months after two GOP senators withheld their votes to advance him from the Senate Judiciary Committee. However, Blanche's confirmation is seen as a win for the Trump administration.

Blanche, who represented Trump as his private attorney in several criminal trials, said he was "deeply honoured" by the trust placed in him to lead the Department of Justice. In a statement, he thanked the Senate and the public servants of the Department of Justice for their work in upholding the law and keeping the country safe.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Live Mint, Axios, CNBC, Channel News Asia — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.