Senate Confirms Todd Blanche 50-49 as 3 Lame-Duck Republicans Back Trump-Aligned DOJ
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8
Senate Confirms Todd Blanche 50-49 as 3 Lame-Duck Republicans Back Trump-Aligned DOJ
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8
Summary
Three lame-duck Republican senators provided the decisive votes for Todd Blanche’s pre-dawn confirmation, arguing his trust with President Trump gave him the best chance to restrain the White House from inside the Justice Department.
Blanche has instead repeatedly embraced expansive presidential control, saying Trump has both the right and duty to direct DOJ investigations and that he must carry out any lawful White House order.
The 50-49 vote was largely symbolic because Blanche had already been serving as acting attorney general since April and could have remained in that role indefinitely.
Critics say the confirmation amounts to congressional endorsement of a Justice Department more directly under Trump’s sway, breaking with post-Watergate norms of prosecutorial independence.
Trump allies have accused the Biden White House of weaponizing prosecutions against Republicans, but the report says they have offered little evidence comparable to Trump’s direct interventions in his second term.