The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate after Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis received written assurances addressing an anti-weaponization fund and an IRS settlement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a major step toward permanent confirmation Tuesday after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination with support from two Republican senators who had threatened to withhold their votes.
The proceedings can be watched here.
Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted to move the nomination forward after the Department of Justice provided written documentation formally ending a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and narrowing language connected to an Internal Revenue Service settlement.
Their support was considered essential because Democrats on the committee were expected to oppose Blanche. His nomination will now move to the full Senate for consideration.
Cornyn and Tillis had demanded that the Justice Department formally rescind the fund, which was intended to compensate people who claimed the federal government had been weaponized against them. They also sought revisions ensuring that audit protections contained in the IRS settlement involving President Donald Trump and his family applied only to the parties in the case.
The senators announced Monday that they would support Blanche after receiving the requested written assurances.
“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund,” Cornyn and Tillis said in a joint statement. “Additionally, the Department has acknowledged in a binding written order that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants in the lawsuit, the IRS and the Treasury, addressing concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.”
“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,” they continued.
Blanche said he and his staff had engaged with senators in good faith and resolved their outstanding concerns.
“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche wrote on X. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley initially scheduled the committee vote for Thursday but postponed it until Tuesday after Cornyn and Tillis raised objections.
Cornyn said Wednesday that no agreement had been reached with the Justice Department and withheld his support. The department told the Daily Caller News Foundation that it had sent Cornyn a written proposal, but the senator said it did not satisfy his demands and returned it with notes.
Cornyn reportedly sent the department a counterproposal Wednesday.
Tillis told the Daily Caller News Foundation and other reporters that he was prepared to support Blanche if the Justice Department eliminated the fund and tightly limited the IRS settlement language.
“The key there is exactly what I’ve said. That this agreement, the 1776 fund, needs to go away, and the language with respect to audits needs to be very tightly tailored,” Tillis said. “It doesn’t include anybody but the parties of the agreement, and it can only be retroactive. You do that, and I’m prepared to support.”
Grassley announced Monday that the committee was prepared to move forward after the negotiations continued through the weekend.
“[The Judiciary Committee] is ready to vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination Tuesday [at] 9AM,” Grassley said on X. “Blanche is right pick for [attorney general] and our country is safer [with] him leading DOJ. [Thanks President] Trump [and] Blanche [and] Sens Cornyn & Tillis for working [through the weekend with] me to get the votes to advance this well qualified nominee.”
Cornyn questioned Blanche during his July 15 confirmation hearing about whether the anti-weaponization fund could later be reinstated. Blanche described the fund as “dead” but acknowledged at the time that no written agreement formally terminating it existed.
Trump’s attorneys said Friday that they would appeal a judge’s ruling questioning the legitimacy of the fund, a development that could have further complicated Blanche’s confirmation.
Trump said he was willing to delay the nomination until Cornyn and Tillis were no longer in office, but Cornyn warned that concerns over the settlement extended beyond the two senators.
“POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,” Cornyn said Thursday.
Tillis also conditioned his support on Blanche meeting with people who alleged they were victimized by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche met with several of the alleged victims at Justice Department headquarters, an action that appeared to satisfy Tillis’ demand.
Although Blanche’s nomination has cleared the Judiciary Committee, the outcome of the full Senate vote remains uncertain. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska had not committed to supporting him.
Cornyn and Tillis are both scheduled to leave the Senate when their current terms end.
Cornyn lost the Republican primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump endorsed during their May runoff. Tillis announced in June 2025 that he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to support a primary challenger over Tillis’ vote against the One Big, Beautiful Bill.
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