{
  "id": 304164,
  "title": "US Senate confirms Trump’s ex-lawyer as attorney general",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/us-senate-confirms-trumps-ex-lawyer-as-attorney-general-304164",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T10:33:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/us-senate-confirms-trumps-ex-lawyer-as-attorney-general/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.\n\nBlanche'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.\n\nBlanche, 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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "US Senate confirms Trump’s ex-lawyer as attorney general",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/us-senate-confirms-trumps-ex-lawyer-as-attorney-general-304627",
        "published": "2026-08-08T09:09:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "US Senate confirms Trump's ex lawyer as attorney general",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/us-senate-confirms-trumps-ex-lawyer-as-attorney-general",
        "published": "2026-08-08T09:18:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "US Senate averts shutdown before Midterms, curbs Trump on Border Patrol funds, delays Hemp ban",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/us-senate-averts-shutdown-before-midterms-curbs-trump-on-border",
        "published": "2026-08-08T09:46:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed by Senate as US attorney general",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/trump-loyalist-todd-blanche-confirmed-by-senate-as-us-attorney-general",
        "published": "2026-08-08T12:34:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}