John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, two Republican Senators who had threatened to block Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation to lead the Justice Department announced today that they will support his nomination.
Their decision to support Blanche’s nomination comes after a deal to formally rescind the $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created as part of the settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
“We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”
John Cornyn and Thom Tillis
Cornyn and Tillis had refused to back Blanche’s bid for the permanent post without written confirmation killing the fund meant to compensate people who believe they were unfairly prosecuted by the Justice Department.
The order, issued by Blanche late Sunday, came after days of negotiations between the Justice Department and the Republican Senators who are leaving Capitol Hill when their terms end in January.
Blanche wrote in his order that the department was confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.” The order said that since the settlement of the US President’s lawsuit against the IRS was announced, “No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid.”
The statement was intended to provide the written assurance Cornyn and Tillis had requested, confirming that the proposed compensation mechanism would not exist going forward.
The latest agreement appears to have satisfied the Senators’ principal concern while allowing the nomination to move forward.
The resolution also ends uncertainty surrounding the future of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which had become one of the most contentious aspects of the IRS settlement. Critics had argued that the fund lacked sufficient clarity regarding how compensation would be determined and administered.
Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed the Justice Department to limit the scope of a separate piece of the settlement that provided broad immunity for Trump and members of his family from tax audits. Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement “applies by its terms only retroactively” to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the President from examination of future tax filings.
Endorsement Paves Way To Advance Blanche’s Nomination
The endorsement from Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis paves the way for the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance Blanche’s nomination on Tuesday.
Securing the backing of the two key Republican Senators after the Department of Justice formally rescinded a controversial fund linked to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a major obstacle to his confirmation as the country’s next Attorney General.
Blanche’s nomination was thrown into doubt last week after the Judiciary Committee postponed a vote that had been scheduled as Tillis and Cornyn said they needed more from the administration before they could provide the necessary votes.
After the vote was delayed, Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche’s nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year. On Saturday, the US President threatened to push forward with the fund if the two Republicans blocked Blanche’s nomination.
Blanche, who served as Trump’s defense lawyer in his criminal cases, entered the Justice Department last year as Deputy Attorney General. He was elevated to the top post after Pam Bondi was fired in April by Trump, who was frustrated by her failure to successfully prosecute his political enemies.
With the dispute resolved, attention is expected to shift to the Senate confirmation process, where Blanche now enters with the support of the two Republican lawmakers whose opposition had posed the greatest threat to his nomination.
The Justice Department order signed by Blanche settles the matter “beyond any doubt,” paving the way for lawmakers to consider his nomination without the controversy that had dominated discussions in recent days.
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