Senate confirms Trump's former lawyer Blanche as US Attorney General

The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday, cementing the command of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer at the Department of Justice.

The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies.

While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the administration's agenda even more aggressively.

In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans - Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - and by every Democrat.