Cornyn reaches deal on 'anti-weaponization fund' to allow Blanche nomination to advance
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has reached a deal with the Justice Department to end the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for President Trump's allies, paving the way for Cornyn to vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Blanche’s nomination on Tuesday and Cornyn...
Todd Blanche, the acting Attorney General, has rescinded an order setting up a $1.776 billion fund established by President Trump. This fund was part of a settlement in a lawsuit Trump had against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax records. The move has earned Blanche the support of Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis for his confirmation as permanent Attorney General.
The fund was created to compensate individuals who claimed they suffered from government "lawfare". According to Axios, the settlement's terms can only be changed via a written agreement from the Trumps and the government, and Sunday's order, signed by Blanche, does not affect the settlement provision requiring the attorney general to create the fund.
Blanche faced resistance from some Senate Republicans, including Cornyn, who was a key holdout. However, with the rescission of the fund, Cornyn and Tillis have now expressed their support for Blanche's confirmation.
Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Axios, CNBC, The Hill, NPR — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Cornyn deals with Blanche; Senate gets spending deal; GOP family clashes: Join the live discussion thehill.com
- Blanche Strikes Deal With GOP Senators to Advance Nomination bloomberg.com
- Cornyn and Tillis say they'll support Blanche for AG after rescinding "anti-weaponization fund" cbsnews.com
- Senate appears ready to advance Blanche after Cornyn strikes deal cnbc.com