Senate Confirms Todd Blanche After Handful Of GOP Holdouts Threatened His Nomination

August 08, 2026 5:54 AM ET The Senate confirmed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to be the next attorney general after holdouts threatened his nomination process. The upper chamber confirmed Blanche 50-49, with every Democrat and two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, voting against him. Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis had been hesitant to support Blanche over a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization package, though they later reached a deal with Blanche and voted to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Cornyn and Tillis demanded that the Department of Justice (DOJ) provide written proof that the fund was rescinded and rewrite language in an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) settlement to ensure that audit immunity for Pres