WASHINGTON (AFP)– US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche was confirmed as US attorney general on Saturday after Senate Republicans brushed aside Democratic concerns that he could politicize the Justice Department.

Blanche, who had already been serving as acting attorney general, represented Trump as his private attorney in several criminal cases before entering government. The Senate, which Republicans narrowly control, confirmed in a 50-to-49 vote.

Trump, who has sought to exert greater control over traditionally independent federal agencies, has called Blanche a “star.”

Democrats opposed Blanche from the beginning, accusing Trump of turning the Justice Department into a political weapon.

“The attorney general is supposed to be the people’s lawyer,” Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday.

“Mr Blanche continues to operate as the president’s personal lawyer, treating the Justice Department like a law firm serving one client — the president.”

The confirmation had been in doubt as the White House sought to win over a handful of Republican holdouts whose support was needed for Blanche to secure the post.

The main sticking point was a proposal to establish a $1.8........

© The Times of Israel