Cornyn, Tillis back Blanche for attorney general after deal on DOJ fund

Washington — GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina formally announced their support on Monday for Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general after reaching a long-sought agreement to end the controversial "anti-weaponization" fund and clarify the scope of a sweeping deal for tax immunity.

"We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund," the Republican senators said in a joint statement. "Additionally, the Department has acknowledged in a binding written order that the audit settlement is limited to the plaintiffs and the scope does not extend beyond the defendants in the lawsuit, the IRS and the Treasury, addressing concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share."

The support from Cornyn and Tillis clears a significant hurdle for Blanche in his quest to lead the Justice Department. With their backing, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to advance his nomination for attorney general to the full Senate. The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning.

Concerns from the two senators regarding the president's settlement with the IRS in May threatened to derail Blanche's confirmation in recent weeks. The Judiciary Committee had initially scheduled a vote to advance his nomination last Thursday, but the meeting was postponed amid the opposition.

A committee spokesperson said then that the proceeding would be delayed "as work continues to secure sufficient support in committee to favorably report Attorney General-nominee Todd Blanche, who is highly qualified for the job."

Cornyn and Tillis, who are both leaving the Senate early next year, noted in their statement that they have been clear from the outset that "we needed a written document addressing our concerns on the IRS audit agreement and the anti-weaponization fund that included constraining the scope of audit protection by limiting it to the parties of the Settlement Agreement and legally ending the anti-weaponization fund." The pair expressed their gratitude to Blanche and his staff for their work to reach a resolution, and added that they "look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon."

The $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund was created as part of a settlement agreement Mr. Trump reached with the IRS to resolve a civil lawsuit he filed over the leak of his tax returns by a government contractor. The program would have allowed people who claimed they were victims of "weaponization" by the federal government to seek compensation.

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