A divided US Senate confirmed Michael Mukasey, retired judge, as attorney-general on Thursday, setting aside concerns he might support interrogation methods decried worldwide as torture.

On a largely party-line vote of 53-40 that saw Democrats oppose Mr Mukasey because he refused to declare simulated drowning unlawful, the Senate approved his nomination to succeed Alberto Gonzales, who resigned under pressure in September as the country’s chief law enforcement officer.