Senate confirms AG Todd Blanche, who said God should be ‘front and center again’

The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general in a narrow vote, after he received pushback from secular groups for saying he believes “God” should be “front and center again” under the Trump administration.

The upper chamber confirmed Blanche’s confirmation in a 50-49 vote Saturday morning after securing key support from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines Tuesday to advance his nomination to the full Senate. 

Blanche has served as acting attorney general following former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s departure earlier this year. His earlier confirmation as deputy attorney general was on a party-line vote. 

On a now-deleted call first posted by the Christian organization Intercessors for America last week and reported by Politico, Blanche told faith leaders with the organization that he wants visible results from the administration’s efforts, including making the landmark 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision “permanent in every single state.”

In the 2022 Dobbs ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide and allowed states to decide whether to outlaw abortion.

“I want people to realize that you should see results from our efforts,” he said, according to a recording circulated on social media. “Not every day and maybe it’s taking a little longer but you should be able to wake up and say you know what, our community is better than it was a year ago, our community is more protected, God is front and center again, being a Christian in this country is no longer something that I should not only not be ashamed of but is actually a benefit because that’s exactly what this country was founded on.” 

In another portion of the recording, Blanche said he remains optimistic that “victory will be soon and it will be permanent.” The Christian Post reached out Friday to Intercessors For America for comment after it removed the call from its YouTube page.

Secular and atheist groups sharply criticized the remarks, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which condemned them as “shocking Christian nationalist views” that suggest Blanche intends to use the Justice Department to privilege conservative Christianity and unite religion and government. 

“Blanche’s words are not those of someone committed to equally serving Americans of every faith — as well as the nearly one-third of U.S. adults who are free from religion,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor in an Aug. 4 statement. “They’re the words of a zealot who views the government as a tool to elevate Christianity. The attorney general’s duty is to uphold the Constitution and equal justice under the law, not to put God ‘front and center.’” 

Noting that Blanche’s comments align with recent DOJ guidance expanding religious freedoms, Gaylor and FFRF urged senators and the public not to ignore what it called Blanche’s “un-American objective to transform the Justice Department into a vehicle for advancing religion.”

Blanche has received the backing of Christian conservative advocacy organizations. In a statement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins called Blanche “well qualified” and “fully capable” of providing the leadership the Justice Department needs.