Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, appears set to become the next US Attorney General. This follows two Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, dropping their opposition to his nomination.
The senators had sought concessions from the Department of Justice and the White House regarding President Trump’s settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They had refused to support Blanche's nomination without written confirmation to discontinue a fund intended to compensate individuals who believed they were unfairly prosecuted by the Justice Department.
Blanche issued a written order late Sunday, following days of negotiations. Cornyn and Tillis stated, “We want to express our gratitude to Mr Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”
The fund had drawn bipartisan criticism due to concerns that individuals involved in the 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack could be eligible for payments. Blanche has repeatedly stated the Justice Department was abandoning plans for the fund.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet this morning for a vote on Blanche’s nomination, which was delayed last week.