The U.S. Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general after secular organizations criticized remarks in which he said “God” should be “front and center again” under the Trump administration.
Blanche was confirmed Saturday in a 50-49 vote after gaining support from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. His nomination advanced Tuesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines.
He had been serving as acting attorney general since former Attorney General Pam Bondi left the administration earlier this year.
In a now-deleted call with faith leaders that was first posted by Christian organization Intercessors for America and later reported by Politico, Blanche said he wanted Americans to see tangible results from the administration’s work, including making the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling “permanent in every single state.”
The Dobbs decision overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had established a nationwide right to abortion, returning authority over abortion laws to the states.
“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.”
Christian conservative organizations have supported Blanche’s nomination. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins described him as “well qualified” and “fully capable” of providing the leadership needed at the Justice Department.
Secular organizations, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, sharply criticized Blanche’s comments.
“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.’”
