Blanche's nomination for attorney general on hold over fate of DOJ's 'anti-weaponization fund'
Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general is on hold as Sen. John Cornyn demands a written agreement to kill the DOJ's $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' and modify Trump's audit immunity deal.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Acting AG Todd Blanche's path to confirmation is stalled by Sen. John Cornyn, who wants written guarantees that a $1.8B DOJ fund for politically persecuted individuals is killed and that Trump's tax-audit immunity is narrowed. The Judiciary Committee postponed its vote.
Imagine the president wants his friend to become the top lawyer in the country, but a senator says, "Not until you put in writing that a big slush fund is canceled and that the president can't escape his old tax audits." So the vote got delayed while everyone argues over the paperwork.
Analysis
Cornyn's Written Demand
Sen. John Cornyn has effectively placed a hold on Todd Blanche's ascent to attorney general by tying his committee vote to two written guarantees from the Justice Department. The first concerns the so-called "anti-weaponization fund," a nearly $1.8 billion pool that the DOJ unveiled in May as part of a settlement with President Trump over his lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury. The fund was designed to compensate individuals who claimed they had been politically targeted by the federal government, and it drew bipartisan criticism. At his earlier confirmation hearing, Blanche insisted the fund was "dead" — that it "never started" and "no money went from the Treasury to any other account." Cornyn, however, points to the settlement's own text, which requires any modifications to be agreed to in writing by all parties, and is pressing for formal documentation rather than verbal assurances. A DOJ official said the department submitted a "written proposal" to Cornyn's staff on Tuesday, but Cornyn called it "not responsive" and noted he had not seen "a single piece of writing that is responsive." A later source told CBS a new DOJ response "addresses their concerns."
The Audit-Immunity Fight
Cornyn's second demand is narrower but more politically charged: he wants the scope of the Justice Department agreement that shields Trump and his family from future IRS audits for prior tax returns explicitly defined, along with the list of federal agencies bound by the release. He said his staff sent the DOJ a "redline strikeout" and is asking only that the department confirm what Blanche said under oath. The audit protection and the fund both sit inside the same Trump-IRS-Treasury settlement, which means Cornyn is using one procedural choke point to renegotiate two separate concessions. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has aligned himself with Cornyn but sounded more optimistic about a resolution; both senators met with Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley hours before the Thursday hearing was canceled.
Trump's Counterattack and the Path Forward
President Trump publicly framed Cornyn's resistance as personal, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Cornyn might be "upset with me because I didn't endorse him" in his primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated Cornyn in May. Cornyn called that suggestion "a convenient excuse, and it happens to be untrue." The episode underscores a recurring dynamic of the second Trump administration: nominees backed by the president remain vulnerable to individual GOP senators willing to use confirmation leverage, even on intra-Republican policy disputes. A committee spokesperson said the hearing was "postponed as work continues to secure sufficient support in committee to favorably report" Blanche, "who is highly qualified for the job," signaling that leadership expects a deal but is not yet ready to force a vote. If Cornyn and Tillis withhold their support, Blanche could see his nomination stalled on the Senate floor even after committee approval, prolonging his status as acting attorney general.
Key points
- Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its vote on Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general after Sen. John Cornyn withheld support.
- Cornyn is demanding a written agreement to formally kill the DOJ's nearly $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' created under Trump's IRS settlement.
- Cornyn also wants written restrictions on the DOJ agreement that granted Trump and his family audit immunity for prior tax returns.
- Sen. Thom Tillis shares Cornyn's concerns but expressed more optimism; both met with Chairman Chuck Grassley before the vote was canceled.
- Blanche told the committee the fund was 'dead' and 'never started,' but Cornyn argues the settlement requires written modification by all parties.
- Trump suggested Cornyn's opposition stems from his endorsement of primary rival Ken Paxton; Cornyn called that claim untrue.
A written DOJ response that addresses Cornyn's concerns on both the fund and the audit immunity could clear the path for Blanche's confirmation as soon as the committee reconvenes, allowing the new attorney general to be seated quickly. The dispute may also produce a clearer public record of the settlement's scope.
If Cornyn and Tillis remain unsatisfied, Blanche could be stuck as acting attorney general indefinitely, weakening the department's leadership at the start of a new administration. The standoff also keeps the controversial $1.8B fund and Trump's audit protections in legal limbo, inviting further litigation and political attacks.
