Aug 9, 2026 · 5 min
Senate confirms Trump’s personal lawyer as attorney general
Resigning the Presidency
The confirmation raises a fundamental question about whether the Justice Department serves the president or the American people.
- 1The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general just before recess, placing Trump’s personal criminal lawyer atop the Justice Department.
- 2Heather Cox Richardson contrasts today’s Republican Senate with Republicans who confronted Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
- 3The episode examines how political accountability and institutional responsibility have changed since Nixon resigned in 1974.
Don't miss
Richard Nixon’s resignation during Watergate is set against the Senate’s confirmation of Trump’s personal lawyer as attorney general.
The brief
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general just before recess, putting President Donald Trump’s personal criminal lawyer in charge of the nation’s top federal law-enforcement agency.
Heather Cox Richardson contrasts Blanche’s new role with the Justice Department’s responsibility to represent the American people, not simply the president who appointed its leader.
The episode turns to Watergate, recalling how Republican senators confronted Richard Nixon in 1974 as evidence of misconduct made his presidency untenable.
Its central comparison is institutional: what changed between the Republicans who helped force Nixon’s resignation and a Senate that confirmed Trump’s lawyer?
The standout moment is the collision between those two standards of accountability—Nixon-era Republican resistance and the present Senate’s approval of Blanche.
Featuring
Donald John Trump
Richard Nixon
Chuck GrassleyListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.