Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina threw their support behind Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general on Monday, ending weeks of uncertainty that had stalled his confirmation. The breakthrough came after the Justice Department issued formal orders killing a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and narrowing the scope of tax immunity granted under a settlement President Trump reached with the IRS in May. The senators had demanded written assurances on both issues before agreeing to advance Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is now expected to vote Tuesday morning.
The anti-weaponization fund was born out of a civil lawsuit Trump filed over the leak of his tax returns by a government contractor. Under the settlement, the program would have allowed people who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the federal government to seek taxpayer-funded compensation. Lawmakers from both parties raised alarms about the idea, noting it could have funneled payments to individuals convicted for assaulting law enforcement during the January 6 Capitol attack. The deal also initially granted sweeping immunity from IRS audits to Trump, his two older sons, and the Trump Organization, which Cornyn and Tillis said went too far.
Tensions escalated over the weekend when Trump issued an ultimatum to the two Republican holdouts, threatening to keep Blanche on as acting attorney general and revive the fund if their blockade continued. Tillis fired back on social media, accusing the president of wanting to “resurrect the payout pot for punks.” A day later, Blanche moved to defuse the situation by formally rescinding the May directive that created the program and clarifying that the audit immunity covers only tax returns already filed by Trump, his sons, and his company. The written settlement with Trump’s lawyers was not modified.
Trump told reporters Monday he still viewed the fund positively and suggested it could have given people who felt wronged by the government “some solace,” though he appeared to distance himself from the decision to kill it, saying he was not sure what exactly was agreed to. Both Cornyn and Tillis are leaving the Senate early next year but emphasized they needed binding written commitments before backing Blanche. They praised him and his staff for negotiating in good faith and said they looked forward to voting his nomination out of committee.