The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Tuesday vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination after an earlier delay, with scrutiny still centered on the proposed Justice Department anti-weaponization fund.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Tuesday vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination for U.S. attorney general, reviving a confirmation process that had stalled after Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis withheld support over a proposed $1.8 billion Justice Department fund for people claiming they were harmed by a “weaponized” DOJ (Justice Department). Either senator could still complicate Blanche’s path from committee, even as the nomination moves back onto the panel’s agenda. The dispute centers on whether the fund, which critics say could channel money to Trump allies, has truly been scrapped. Blanche has said the proposal is dead, but Cornyn argued that the settlement creating it cannot be changed without written consent from the parties and warned it “could be revived at a future date.” Both Cornyn and Tillis have said they want assurances that the fund has been formally and permanently abandoned. Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney and current acting attorney general, is also seen as aligned with a more crypto-friendly Justice Department posture, adding policy significance to the nomination beyond the immediate committee fight. Trump had said he would consider withdrawing Blanche’s nomination after the earlier delay while keeping him in the acting role. Even if Blanche clears committee, he would still need a simple majority in the Senate.