Trump AG Nominee’s Fate Lies In Hands Of 2 GOP Senators President Has Clashed With

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation depends on two Republican holdouts who could quash his chances of becoming the next attorney general.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally end the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, which aimed to compensate victims of government weaponization. Cornyn and Tillis’ support is crucial for advancing Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee during a vote scheduled for Thursday.

Blanche repeatedly said the fund is “dead.” Some Republican senators raised concerns that the fund would compensate Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters convicted of violent crimes. The fund threatened the passage of a $69.5 billion reconciliation package that Trump signed into law on June 10.

The fund was created as part of a settlement to end President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Cornyn also demanded that the settlement be rewritten so Trump and his family were no longer shielded from tax audits related to past returns.

The Texas senator said Tuesday there is “no deal” on the Blanche nomination, indicating that the administration must agree to his demands in exchange for his support. He expressed concern during Blanche’s confirmation hearing that the fund could be revived.

“Fake news alert: there is no ‘deal’ on Blanche nom. They know what they have to do,” Cornyn said on X.

“We just need for the documents to conform to what [Blanche’s] testimony was at the hearing, where he said the weaponization fund was dead [and] he said that the immunity from future audits does not extend to people beyond the parties to the lawsuit,” Cornyn said.

During the confirmation hearing, Blanche agreed to work with senators to “develop legislative language that would eliminate the anti-weaponization fund” when questioned by Tillis. The North Carolina senator said the DOJ had made “good progress” on the fund, but that more progress needed to be made on the audited immunity.

“They’ve made good progress, I think, on the 1776 fund, but I think we have some work, and leaving that audited immunity in there, but very narrowly tailored,” Tillis said, according to Punchbowl News.

The Trump administration said it engaged directly with aides for Cornyn and Tillis about Blanche’s nomination, as a single “no” vote from a Republican could tank his confirmation, according to Politico. The late Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s passing left the Judiciary Committee with a narrower Republican majority, meaning Blanche would need Cornyn and Tillis’ support.

The White House and Tillis’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Cornyn’s office referred the DCNF to the senator’s latest statement on the matter.

Tillis demanded that Blanche meet with the alleged victims of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in exchange for his support. Blanche complied with the demand and met with several of the alleged victims at DOJ headquarters. Tillis appeared satisfied that the meeting took place.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said he heard Tillis make “favorable comments” about Blanche, Politico reported. He did not answer whether Cornyn was on board with Blanche’s confirmation.

Cornyn lost his primary in May after Trump endorsed Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton one week before the runoff. Tillis announced in June 2025 that he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger over the senator’s vote against the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

Trump accused Cornyn of being “very disloyal,” arguing the senator did not support him during difficult moments and did not fight hard enough to pass the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.