Todd Blanche moved a step closer to becoming the next U.S. attorney general on Tuesday after Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination, clearing the way for a full Senate vote that could arrive within days.
The breakthrough came only after Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general and previously President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, agreed to revise two controversial arrangements that had sparked resistance even within Republican ranks: a multibillion-dollar “anti-weaponization” fund and an agreement limiting tax audits involving Trump and his family.
The compromise, struck over the weekend, persuaded Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis to back the nomination. Blanche issued directives that he said effectively dismantled the fund while restricting tax-audit protections to Trump’s past returns and those of his son and family business. Future tax filings, according to the revised arrangement, would remain open to scrutiny.
Democrats, however, remained unconvinced.
During a heated committee hearing, Senator Cory Booker dismissed the changes as inadequate, arguing that the measures offered no ironclad guarantee that the fund could not be revived in the future. He also questioned whether the revised tax provisions would ensure accountability at the highest levels of government.
Cornyn defended his decision to support Blanche, saying the agreement represented a meaningful commitment from the Justice Department. He expressed confidence that the department would honor the terms going forward, while acknowledging that lawmakers ultimately had to rely on Blanche’s assurances.
Tillis echoed that sentiment, describing the original fund as unacceptable but stating that the revisions addressed his concerns. He also argued that both major political parties had, at different times, used the Justice Department as a weapon against their opponents.
Despite winning over the Republican holdouts, Blanche’s deal has continued to attract criticism from advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers, who insist that executive orders alone are insufficient safeguards. They have called for legislation that would permanently prevent any future administration from reviving the fund and would explicitly eliminate special tax protections.
The controversy traces back to the settlement of Trump’s massive lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The disputed $1.8 billion fund was intended to assist individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted for their political beliefs, including some Trump allies who maintain they faced politically motivated prosecutions related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Opponents have branded the initiative a political slush fund, arguing that Blanche’s order may not carry lasting legal force because the attorneys involved in the original settlement have not publicly endorsed the changes. Critics also note that the Justice Department has stopped short of promising that the program could never return.
Senator Dick Durbin, the committee’s top Democrat, warned that the fund could easily be restored under a future Justice Department directive. He also accused Blanche of making misleading statements during his confirmation hearing, raising the prospect of future investigations should Democrats regain control of the Senate.
The nomination vote had been delayed last week after Cornyn and Tillis demanded written guarantees that the fund would be terminated and that Trump’s tax protections would be narrowed. Their resistance marked one of the most visible instances of Republican pushback against the administration during Trump’s second term.
Meanwhile, legal advocacy groups challenging the fund in court have pressed the Justice Department to formally declare the program permanently canceled, though no definitive response has yet emerged.
Blanche’s tenure as acting attorney general has already drawn intense scrutiny. Supporters point to falling crime rates and praise his leadership, while critics accuse him of abandoning longstanding traditions of Justice Department independence and using federal power against the president’s political rivals.
With committee approval now secured, Blanche’s nomination heads to the Senate floor, where lawmakers will decide whether he will permanently take charge of the nation’s top law-enforcement agency.
