Ex-Trump Lawyer Now Runs Justice

Todd Blanche has been sworn in as United States Attorney General, closing a hard-fought confirmation battle and putting President Trump’s former personal lawyer in charge of the Justice Department.

Quick Take

Blanche was sworn in Monday after the Senate confirmed him by a 50-49 vote.
Another former Trump lawyer, Emil Bove, administered the oath at the White House.
Blanche had been serving in an acting role since April, so the handoff was both legal and symbolic.
The tight vote shows how divided Washington remains over the Justice Department’s direction.

White House Swearing-In Ends the Transition

The Associated Press reported that Blanche was sworn in Monday at the White House after the Senate confirmed him in a narrow 50-49 vote. The oath was administered by Emil Bove, another former Trump attorney who now serves on the federal bench. Blanche then went to Justice Department headquarters, where employees lined the entrance and cheered his arrival.

The ceremony followed days of intense political attention because Blanche had been leading the department in an acting role since Pam Bondi’s firing in April. The Justice Department staff page still described him as acting attorney general in the search results, which shows how official records can lag behind a live transition. That delay does not change the fact that news outlets reported the swearing-in as complete.

A Narrow Vote That Reflected Deep Tension

Blanche’s confirmation was never treated like a routine cabinet vote. The Senate approved him 50-49, with Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats against him. ABC News reported the final tally on air, and multiple outlets matched that same count, making the procedural outcome clear.

The size of the vote mattered because it turned a standard administrative step into a political test. Coverage from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, CNN, and The Guardian all tied the nomination fight to concerns about politicization inside the Justice Department. Blanche was repeatedly described as President Trump’s former personal lawyer, and that history shaped how both supporters and critics read the appointment.

Why the Appointment Carries More Weight Than a Normal Handoff

Blanche is not just another Senate-confirmed official. He now leads the federal department responsible for criminal law, federal prosecutions, and major law enforcement agencies that affect daily life across the country. That is why the swearing-in drew attention far beyond Washington. For supporters, it marked a clean transfer into a top job. For critics, it raised old fears about whether the department can stay independent.

Todd Blanche is officially sworn in as the United States Attorney General 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/a4AL4oN3Pz

— KINGNNAMDIMEDIA (@Kingnamdimedia) August 10, 2026

This episode also shows how modern government transitions can confuse the public. News reports, social posts, and official pages do not always update at the same pace. When a Senate vote, a White House ceremony, and a government website all move on different clocks, the public can be left sorting out whether someone is acting in an office, confirmed for it, or fully sworn in. In Blanche’s case, the record now shows all three stages have passed in order.