Senate Judiciary Committee to Vote on Todd Blanche Nomination

The nomination stalled after Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis demanded written assurances that the Justice Department would not establish the fund, which critics labeled a taxpayer-funded vehicle for Trump’s allies involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Despite Trump’s Friday assertion that the fund is dead, confusion persists; he previously referenced the project in the present tense, prompting Tillis to argue that the president’s conflicting signals necessitate a formal legislative end to the proposal.

Trump criticized Cornyn for obstructing the confirmation, attributing the tension to his own endorsement of the senator’s primary challenger. Blanche, who serves as acting attorney general, has verbally assured senators the fund will not proceed but has stopped short of formalizing that commitment in writing. While the standoff continues, Blanche could technically remain in his role throughout the remainder of Trump’s term as long as his nomination remains pending and is not formally rejected. The fund originated from a legal settlement regarding a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over his tax records, a deal that also included provisions limiting future audits of the president and his associates.