Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to be finally on the road to Senate confirmation.
Blanche’s nomination faced Senate headwinds over a fund designed to compensate victims who were politically persecuted by the Biden administration.
Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina threatened that they would prevent Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general until the fund was eliminated.
On Sunday, Blanche capitulated on X, posting a document that said he has rescinded the Department of Justice’s May order establishing an “anti-weaponization fund.”
My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions. We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The… pic.twitter.com/U6hs15kw2D
— Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) August 3, 2026
Suddenly, all was sweetness and light with Tillis, an avowed foe of President Donald Trump, and Cornyn, who lost his GOP Senate primary to his Trump-backed rival, Texas AG Ken Paxton.
Will Blanche be confirmed?
Yes: 98% (90 Votes)
No: 2% (2 Votes)
“From the outset, Senator @JohnCornyn and I were clear that we needed a written document addressing our concerns on the IRS audit agreement and the anti-weaponization fund that included constraining the scope of audit protection by limiting it to the parties of the Settlement Agreement and legally ending the anti-weaponization fund,” Tillis posted.
From the outset, Senator @JohnCornyn and I were clear that we needed a written document addressing our concerns on the IRS audit agreement and the anti-weaponization fund that included constraining the scope of audit protection by limiting it to the parties of the Settlement…
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) August 3, 2026
“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund,” Tillis wrote.
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he wrote.
As noted by USA Today, Republicans have a 12-10 majority on the committee. That allowed Cornyn and Tillis to block the nomination, knowing all Democrats will vote against him.
A previous committee vote was put on hold until Cornyn and Tillis could be appeased.
A committee vote is scheduled for Tuesday. Following that, the only hurdle left is a vote by the full Senate.
BREAKING: GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis announce they have reached an agreement with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the proposed anti-weaponization fund, clearing the way for his confirmation.
The senators had opposed Blanche over the Justice Department’s… pic.twitter.com/YaWYfhjvkG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 3, 2026
On Sunday, Trump angrily threatened to fully revive the fund if Cornyn and Tillis ultimately voted against Blanche.
“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis … aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche … to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” he wrote on Truth Social.
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