An Outgoing Senator Is Holding Up Trump’s Attorney General Pick — and the Sticking Point Involves a Secret Fund

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has declined to commit his support for Todd Blanche’s confirmation as permanent U.S. attorney general, citing unresolved issues with a settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and President Trump.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney and acting attorney general since April, was formally nominated in June. The dispute centers on a settlement that resolved a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax records.

The agreement included immunity from certain IRS audits for Trump, family members, and related businesses. It also referenced a fund valued at roughly $1.776 billion to $1.8 billion, described by the administration as an “anti-weaponization” fund intended to compensate individuals targeted by the Biden DOJ, including January 6 defendants and pro-life activists.

Blanche has testified that the fund is not proceeding. “Meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It’s not moving forward,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15.

Cornyn pressed him on whether a written modification of the settlement existed. Blanche confirmed there had not been one and that the settlement remained enforceable as a contract. Cornyn later told CNN that Blanche “basically confirmed that it’s not dead.”

“I continue to have some concerns, but I’m not going to make any decisions at this point,” Cornyn said. He has insisted the documents must match the testimony before he will support the nomination. All Democrats are expected to oppose Blanche, meaning the votes of Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis could prove decisive.