President Donald Trump has renewed uncertainty over Todd Blanche's nomination as United States attorney general by threatening to revive a $1.8 billion compensation fund if two Republican senators refuse to support him. The statement on Saturday prompted Senator Thom Tillis to say Blanche would not be confirmed next week unless the dispute could be resolved before a planned committee vote on Tuesday.
Trump said he would keep Blanche as acting attorney general and pursue the proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund if Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas continued to withhold support. Both senators serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where at least one of their votes is required to advance the nomination to the full Senate, according to Axios.
The dispute centers on the settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Associated Press reporting says the settlement included a proposed $1.776 billion fund for people claiming mistreatment by the Justice Department and an agreement protecting Trump and members of his family from certain tax audits. The Justice Department said in June that it had abandoned the fund, while the audit arrangement remained in place.
Cornyn and Tillis have sought written assurances that the fund cannot return and clarification about the audit provision. Blanche told senators that the audit protection covers existing examinations but not future tax filings. Trump said on Friday that the fund was dead, allowing Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to place a previously postponed vote back on Tuesday's schedule, but the president's new statement reversed that apparent progress.
Tillis said the president now clearly intended to resurrect the payout plan, although he described Blanche as qualified. The North Carolina senator expressed hope for a solution by Tuesday. A committee spokesperson told AP that Grassley wants Blanche confirmed before the August recess and scheduled the vote to give the White House more time to secure support.
The confrontation leaves the nomination dependent on negotiations inside the president's own party and raises questions about whether Blanche could remain in an acting role if confirmation fails. The next decisive step is the Judiciary Committee meeting on Tuesday, where the senators' positions will determine whether the nomination reaches the full Senate or remains stalled.
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