Around 4:30 am ET, the US Senate voted 50-49 to confirm Blanche, President Donald Trumpâs former personal attorney and acting attorney general since April, as the nationâs chief law enforcement officer. It did so despite widespread concerns, including among some Republicans, that he would use the office primarily to carry out the presidentâs whims.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), one of two Republicans who voted against Blanche, outlined her concerns in a social media post Friday ahead of the vote, saying Trump had âacceleratedâ the âpoliticizationâeven weaponizationâ of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and that Blanche had played a part.