Trump picks ally Todd Blanche as attorney general, teeing up US Senate fight

US President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche, acting US attorney general, to fill the position on a permanent basis, rewarding a loyal ally whose controversial actions ensure an uphill Senate confirmation fight.

The White House announced on Monday it had sent Blanche’s nomination to the Senate, a move Trump telegraphed last week during remarks at a private event in the Rose Garden. Blanche formerly served as one of Trump’s personal lawyers before the president picked him for the No 2 position at the Justice Department.

Blanche, who stepped into the nation’s top criminal justice job after Trump fired Pam Bondi as attorney general in April, has displayed a willingness to deploy the resources of the Justice Department against the president’s perceived political enemies and to help his allies.

Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate but it is far from certain that the party would unite behind Blanche.

Some Republican senators are facing tough re-election fights. Others are ready to defy Trump because they are not seeking re-election, in two cases because they were defeated in primaries by Trump-backed opponents.

Blanche, 51, set off what is widely seen as the first major Republican pushback to the administration with a plan to create a US$1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund to compensate those who claim they were unfairly victimised by the government, potentially including January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters.