President Donald Trump presided over the event, which followed a narrow 50-49 Senate confirmation vote that saw unanimous opposition from Democratic lawmakers.
The transition marks the final step in Blanche’s elevation to the nation’s top law enforcement post after he served as acting attorney general following the April dismissal of Pam Bondi, as detailed by BioBioChile. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt published video footage of the ceremony on the social media platform X, showing the president applauding Blanche after he took the oath of office alongside administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance.
“Congratulations to a great lawyer and an even better person!” Leavitt wrote in her post on X, as reported by BioBioChile.
Blanche’s path to confirmation faced intense legislative scrutiny and a deeply polarized Senate floor. Democratic senators voted solidly against his nomination, arguing that his appointment signals an intent to leverage the Department of Justice for political retribution. Republicans John Cornyn and Thom Tillis also temporarily stalled his advancement through the Senate Judiciary Committee over specific policy initiatives pursued during his tenure as deputy attorney general.
Background, Legal Defense Work, and Senate Hurdles
Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1974, Blanche built his career as a federal prosecutor in the Southern New York District before transitioning to high-profile defense work, according to BioBioChile. Prior to Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, Blanche represented the president as personal counsel in three distinct criminal cases. Most notably, he directed Trump’s defense during the New York trial concerning falsified business records tied to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Blanche also served on Trump’s legal teams addressing federal charges over classified documents and challenges to the 2020 election results.
Following the administration’s return to power, Trump appointed Blanche as deputy attorney general. In that role, he was involved in the public release of thousands of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case—a handling that ultimately contributed to the departure of his predecessor, Pam Bondi, according to BioBioChile. Blanche also traveled internationally in his interim capacity, leading the Washington delegation last Friday to the inauguration of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Controversy flared in May when Blanche announced the creation of a $1.8 billion fund for “anti-instrumentalization” designed to compensate presidential allies subjected to legal actions during the administration of former President Joe Biden, which critics labeled a slush fund. The Department of Justice also faced criticism for issuing fiscal immunity agreements to the president, his two eldest sons, and the Trump Organization. To secure sufficient votes for Senate confirmation, the administration ultimately dropped the compensation fund project and clarified that the fiscal immunity agreements would apply strictly on a retroactive basis rather than covering future tax declarations.
Institutional Priorities and Future Oversight
On Monday, Attorney General Todd Blanche highlighted on social media that the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force surge, launched a year prior at presidential direction, has resulted in more than 16,000 arrests and the removal of thousands of illegal firearms and drug shipments from the nation’s capital.
With his formal confirmation now complete, Blanche assumes permanent command of federal prosecutors nationwide amidst ongoing debates over the department’s institutional independence. Observers anticipate that congressional oversight committees will closely monitor enforcement priorities and department expenditures under his permanent leadership.
Department of Justice.