Trump's former lawyer confirmed as US attorney general by single vote

Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump in multiple criminal cases, has been confirmed as the United States attorney general by a margin of one vote in the Senate. The BBC reports the confirmation; The Independent notes a Republican senator who refused to support Blanche was condemned by Trump as a 'traitor'.

Blanche defended Trump in the New York hush money case and the federal classified documents prosecution. His confirmation marks the first time a president's former criminal defence lawyer has taken the nation's top law enforcement post. The single-vote margin suggests significant Senate reservations about the appointment.

The role of attorney general carries a constitutional ambiguity that matters more when the appointing president faces legal jeopardy. The office is simultaneously the president's lawyer and the nation's chief law officer - a tension that usually sits quiet but becomes acute when the two duties point in opposite directions. Blanche's prior client relationship with Trump makes that tension visible from day one.

The Senate vote total will clarify whether this was a party-line split or whether Republican defections nearly sank the nomination. If a sitting Republican senator broke ranks and was publicly condemned for it, that tells you how much pressure the White House applied to secure the appointment.