Daniel Wolfram
The appointment scares Washington politicians and insiders because of his loyalty to Trump
While there is mounting scrutiny in Washington about Trump gifting his cronies jobs in high places, Republicans keep bending to his will.
This time it is his former lawyer who will now serve as the main legal advisor to the government.
This appointment has the potential to deliver a major shift in the checks and balances of American politics.
Confirmed in the middle of the night
The Senate pushed through a razor-thin 50-49 vote long after midnight Friday. The decision appoints President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche as the Attorney General of the Justice Department.
Todd Blanche has been the acting AG since Trump fired Pam Bondi back in April over the handling of the Epstein files.
Blanche confirmed his gratitude to Trump online after the vote went through. He posted that he was “deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me,” while adding he was “grateful” to senators working overnight.
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A contentious confirmation
The deal almost stalled because a growing number of Republicans became wary of Blanche’s personal ties with the president.
It did not help that Blanche, during his stint as the acting AG, signed a law shielding the Trump family from being tax audited as well as the creation of the “anti-weaponization” fund to provide compensation to individuals who participated in the January 6 attack on Congress.
To get confirmed, Blanche had to give written promises to Republican lawmakers to scrap these two initiatives. It remains to be seen if he follows through with the repeals.
Republicans cave
This was enough to convince Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, who cast the deciding vote.
According to Cassidy, it might prove beneficial that Blanche is Trump’s former lawyer so that it is easier to push back against internal pressure from the White House.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” Cassidy stated.
Fears over legal independence
Critics on both sides of the aisle remain unconvinced.
Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Senator from Alaska who ended up voting no at Blanche’s confirmation hearing, insists the nation needs a leader “who will check the worst impulses of this administration.”
Democrats also points to recent moves by the department as a sign of fading autonomy between the presidency and the Attorney General.
One of these instances includes an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, a personal enemy of Trump. Democrats in the Senate warned that putting a loyal ally in charge of being the main advisor to the president undermines legal independence.
