Blanche deal leaves loopholes on 'anti-weaponization' fund, Trump immunity

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Todd Blanche as attorney general with a 12-10 vote, advancing his nomination to the Senate floor. Blanche, a former personal attorney to President Trump, has been serving as acting attorney general. His confirmation was delayed after Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis expressed concerns over a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.

Democrats on the committee opposed Blanche's confirmation, citing concerns that the fund could still be revived despite Blanche's assurances that it is dead. According to The Hill, Democrats described the deal as having loopholes. Blanche provided written confirmation that the fund would be dismantled, which satisfied Cornyn and Tillis.

Blanche's nomination now moves to the Senate floor, where he will need 50 votes to be confirmed. Several GOP senators, including Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy, have not committed to voting for him. The South China Morning Post reported that Blanche formally scrapped the fund as part of his confirmation agreement.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Al-Monitor, CNBC World, South China Morning Post, CBS News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.