The short version
- Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis agreed to support Todd Blanche’s permanent appointment as attorney general after receiving binding documentation ending a disputed financial arrangement.
- The written assurance terminates a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and clarifies that tax audit immunity does not extend beyond the specific parties involved in an IRS lawsuit settlement.
- President Trump previously threatened to revive the fund through legislation if Blanche’s nomination failed, creating significant uncertainty for the confirmation process ahead of the judiciary committee vote.
Two Republican senators who had threatened to obstruct Todd Blanche’s path to becoming the permanent attorney general have signaled their support for his nomination. This shift occurs after Blanche provided written assurances that a controversial $1.8 billion fund, intended to benefit allies of former President Donald Trump, has been formally terminated. The development clears a major hurdle for Blanche, who currently serves as acting attorney general, ahead of a scheduled vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, both outgoing lawmakers known for their frequent clashes with Trump over the past year, cited a successful negotiation resulting in a legally enforceable document. Their concerns centered on two primary issues: the existence of the so-called anti-weaponization fund and the scope of protections granted to Trump regarding future tax audits. Both elements originated from a settlement in a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service concerning the unauthorized release of his tax returns.
A federal judge overseeing that litigation had previously criticized the arrangement, noting that the Department of Justice appeared to lack good faith in defending the government’s interests. The judge suggested the deal seemed designed to engineer a favorable outcome for the president rather than uphold legal standards. For Cornyn and Tillis, these factors were initially dealbreakers, prompting their resistance to advancing Blanche’s nomination without concrete changes.
In a joint statement, the senators expressed satisfaction with the Department of Justice’s formal order ending the fund. They also highlighted that the department acknowledged in writing that the audit settlement is strictly limited to the plaintiffs and does not extend broader immunity beyond the IRS and Treasury defendants involved in the lawsuit. This clarification addressed concerns shared by multiple Republican colleagues regarding potential indefinite protection from tax scrutiny.
Despite this progress, tensions remain high. Over the weekend, Trump defended the fund on social media, warning that he would push hard to legislate its return if senators failed to approve Blanche’s nomination. He stated that the proposal would immediately come back on the table if the confirmation stalled. With the judiciary committee poised to vote, the resolution of these immediate concerns allows the process to move forward, though the political implications of the fund’s termination and the broader relationship between the executive branch and the justice department continue to draw scrutiny.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian US↗Republican holdouts say they will back Todd Blanche for attorney general
