US Senate confirms Trump's former personal lawyer as attorney general

Blanche had already held the position on an interim basis since Pam Bondi's departure. She was fired in early April amid the crisis caused by the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Before joining the administration, Blanche represented Trump as his personal attorney in several criminal cases, including the case involving porn actress Stormy Daniels.

On the Senate floor, currently controlled by the Republican Party by a narrow margin, confirmation required intense behind-the-scenes negotiations. Republicans Susan Collins (from Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (from Alaska), known for their more independent stances, broke with the party, joined the Democrats and voted against the nomination.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana ended up becoming the decisive vote to save the nomination, after announcing on Friday (7) that, despite reservations, he considered Blanche the best option that Trump would be willing to present.

The resistance from the Republican bench itself was focused on two measures adopted by him during his period as interim head of the Department of Justice. The main one was the attempt to create a US$1.8 billion fund focused on combating what the government has called the "political apparatus" of Justice. The official objective was to allocate public resources to compensate citizens who claimed to have been the target of persecution by the federal government under previous administrations.

The program, however, was harshly criticized by opponents and legal experts as a kind of camouflaged reward fund for Trump allies. The measure opened a loophole to financially benefit individuals prosecuted and convicted of involvement in the invasion of the Capitol.

The second was a decree signed in May, related to an agreement between the Department of Justice and Trump, which, according to the interpretation of senators from both parties, could be used as broad protection against future tax audits or financial investigations involving not only the president, but also people linked to him, including family members and executives of his companies.

To unlock her nomination, Blanche backed down. On the eve of the vote, he published a new administrative order officially revoking the billion-dollar fund. Furthermore, it severely restricted the scope of the tax immunity agreement, adding clauses that clarify that the measure takes effect only on the parties involved in the original lawsuit and only in relation to past claims.

The concessions allowed Blanche to overcome resistance from part of the Republican caucus and secure her confirmation, albeit by a narrow margin.

Democrats opposed the nomination from the beginning and accused Trump of turning the Justice Department into a political weapon. "The attorney general should be the people's lawyer," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday. "Blanche continues to serve as the president's personal lawyer, treating the Department of Justice as a law firm providing services to a single client: the president."

After confirmation, the new Secretary of Justice stated, in a post on social media, that he was deeply honored.

Historically, the Justice Department has performed its functions with relative independence from the White House. In Trump's second term, however, this relationship has been the subject of controversy, amid the president's efforts to expand his control over agencies and institutions that traditionally operated with greater autonomy.

The department sought to prosecute adversaries that Trump considers his enemies, caused the mass departure of career prosecutors and declared that it was acting under the president's direction.

Federal judges have repeatedly criticized prosecutors for presenting what they considered weak cases, and grand juries have declined to bring charges in some situations.

Political appointees also removed high-ranking career officials considered resistant to the administration's agenda, significantly reducing staffing in the civil rights division, the ethics office and other areas.

Blanche said she helped bring crime to historically low levels and correct what she sees as injustices committed by Joe Biden's administration against Trump and his conservative allies. Blanche's supporters say he is committed to the Justice Department's core mission of keeping the country safe.