Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, sworn in as US attorney general

Todd Blanche has been sworn as US attorney general, cementing Donald Trump’s installation of his former personal attorney in charge of the Department of Justice.Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general since April, was confirmed in his new position during a ceremony at the White House on Monday. The 52-year-old is the second Senate-confirmed attorney general of Trump’s second term, after Pam Bondi, who was ousted earlier this year.He previously served as Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer, representing him in the New York hush-money case and other criminal matters, before joining the administration as deputy attorney general in early 2025.“Congratulations to a great lawyer and an even better man!!!” the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, posted on social media following his closed-door confirmation.Since taking over, Blanche has presided over the departure of more than 200 prosecutors and agents who worked on Trump-related investigations, pushed expansive theories of presidential power and suffered a string of courtroom setbacks, including a stinging ruling in which a federal judge sent her findings to bar authorities considering disciplinary action against him.He now officially takes over the department after Trump ousted his predecessor, Pam Bondi, who the president had become frustrated with over insufficient action from the Department of Justice against his political foes.Bondi’s tenure had also been dogged by controversy over the botched handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which still shadows the department, with lawmakers continuing to press for the full release of records and Democrats accusing Blanche of following Bondi’s playbook of stonewalling survivors and Congress alike.The Senate voted narrowly in favor of his confirmation in the role, with the Republican-led upper chamber voting 50-49 in the early hours of Saturday morning. Every Democrat rejected his nomination, as well as the Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.