Todd Blanche Senate nomination gains path after Cornyn deal

Todd Blanche’s Senate nomination for attorney general appears to have a clearer route forward after the acting attorney general formally rescinded a Justice Department order creating a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” Sen. John Cornyn, the Texas Republican whose objections had delayed the nomination, said he reached an agreement with the department, though a committee vote would only send Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate, not confirm him.

Blanche posted documents Sunday formalizing the end of the fund, according to CNBC and NPR. The documents also set limits on a May settlement involving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

For an everyday reader following the process, the immediate development is procedural: Blanche still needs the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance his nomination, then needs enough votes in the full Senate to be confirmed.

What happens next with Todd Blanche’s Senate nomination?

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to move Blanche’s nomination to the Senate floor, CNBC reported. The panel had postponed an earlier vote while Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, sought written commitments from the Justice Department.

Cornyn spokesperson Natalie Yezbick said the agreement calls for a formal order permanently ending the fund and a binding document specifying that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs, including Trump, and the IRS. NPR and CNBC reported that Tillis’ office did not immediately comment after the agreement was announced.

Even if the committee advances Blanche, confirmation is not assured. NPR reported that other Republican senators may still have concerns, and the full Senate would have to vote on the nomination.

Why was the nomination delayed?

The dispute centered on an anti-weaponization fund tied to the May IRS settlement. The proposed fund was valued at about $1.8 billion and was intended to compensate people who said they had been targeted unfairly by the Justice Department, according to NPR. Critics, including Cornyn and Tillis, warned it could lead to payments to Trump allies and potentially people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, CNBC reported.

Cornyn and Tillis wanted more than Blanche’s prior testimony that the plan was finished. They sought written assurances that the fund would not proceed and a clearer description of the settlement’s limits, Politico reported.

Blanche said no board members had been appointed to run the fund, no money had been transferred and no claims had been paid, NPR reported.

What do the new documents change?

The documents rescind the order that created the fund and say the IRS settlement applies only retroactively, CNBC reported. They also describe its effect as applying to named parties in Trump’s IRS case, including claims releases.

The written action addressed Cornyn’s stated demands, but it does not eliminate all uncertainty around the proposal. Legal experts cited by NPR said a future Justice Department order could potentially establish a similar fund again. The coming committee vote will show whether the agreement has secured enough support to restart Blanche’s confirmation process.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.