WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Senate confirmed as attorney general in a vote early Saturday morning, cementing President Donald Trump鈥檚 former personal attorney鈥檚 command of a Justice Department the Republican president has sought to .
The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration鈥檚 agenda even more aggressively.
Blanche said on social media that he was 鈥渄eeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me,鈥� adding that he was 鈥済rateful鈥� to senators for working late to confirm him.
The vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns 鈥� from some Republicans as well as Democrats 鈥� about installing Trump鈥檚 close ally atop a Justice Department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House.
In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans 鈥� Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska 鈥� and by every Democrat.
The path to confirmation for Blanche was unusually rocky, due in large part to Republican concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump鈥檚 lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Under pressure, Blanche publicly promised that the department would abandon Trump鈥檚 proposed for the president鈥檚 allies, including those who attacked the Capitol on , and rein in another piece of the settlement designed to shield Trump and his family from IRS tax audits.
His appeals were enough to win over Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the decisive vote who threw his support behind Blanche Friday morning. Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump and suggested Blanche鈥檚 role as Trump鈥檚 former criminal defense lawyer can make him more effective at pushing back on the president鈥檚 demands.
鈥淭his is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,鈥� said Cassidy, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said confirming Blanche would be a 鈥渟erious mistake.鈥� He begged his colleagues not to be on the 鈥渨rong side鈥� of history.
鈥淚f there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it鈥檚 right now,鈥� Durbin said.
Blanche鈥檚 loyalty to Trump left senators skeptical
The vote capped off a , with Blanche鈥檚 loyalty to Trump at the center of the stalemate.
Blanche was elevated to the top Justice Department post in an acting capacity after Trump in April. Blanche moved swiftly to advance the president鈥檚 interests, accelerating investigations into Trump鈥檚 perceived foes and announcing the settlement that created the to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with .
The controversial settlement threatened to torpedo Blanche鈥檚 nomination until he formally rescinded the fund in writing under pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The between the senators and the department unlocked a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which
Even after the deal, Blanche faced opposition from some Republican senators concerned with the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund鈥� and the tax audit immunity deal.
Murkowski announced early Friday that she would join Collins in opposing Blanche鈥檚 nomination, saying the country needs an attorney general 鈥渨ho will check the worst impulses of this administration.鈥�
Former prosecutor rises as Trump鈥檚 defender
A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche rose to public prominence as a lead attorney on Trump鈥檚 defense team, including during the He also defended Trump against criminal charges in the two federal cases brought 鈥� an experience Blanche has said provided him a firsthand look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against Trump.
Blanche entered the Justice Department last year as , overseeing the agency鈥檚 day-to-day operations and serving as the public face for high-profile and controversial matters, like the release of millions of investigative files related to
Democrats have accused Blanche of prioritizing his loyalty to Trump above all else through investigations against Trump foes such as former FBI Director James Comey and a radical reshaping of the department. Under Bondi and Blanche鈥檚 leadership, the through firings, resignations or voluntary departures.
Blanche鈥檚 supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom make him better equipped than Bondi to explain to the White House the legal constraints of its demands. Republicans have also touted his efforts to bring down violent crime, tackle illegal immigration and combat violent cartels and drug trafficking.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, gave a full-throated endorsement of Blanche ahead of voting, saying he鈥檚 led the Justice Department with distinction. 鈥淢r. Blanche is the right choice,鈥� he said.
But it remains in delivering on Trump鈥檚 desire for retribution than Bondi, whom Trump fired amid resistance from judges, grand jurors and the department鈥檚 own workforce as prosecutors sought to establish criminal conduct by one Trump foe after another.
Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of 鈥�86 47.鈥� Comey鈥檚 lawyers are pressing to have the case dismissed, accusing the department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts.
Blanche has also appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether over the last decade to undermine Trump. But it remains uncertain whether that probe will result in any criminal charges.
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Associated Press writers Bill Barrow, Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
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