Fine print shows Blanche tried to ‘sneak through’ overnight ‘scam’ to shield Trump: report
Partisan Source Stacking
How They Deceive You
Propaganda
Heavily misleading through loaded partisan language and critical omissions that distort a confirmation clarification into a secret scam.
Main Device
Partisan Source Stacking
Builds the entire story around MeidasTouch's loaded social media posts while ignoring official DOJ documents and Republican senators' confirming statements.
Archetype
Progressive anti-Trump narrative enforcer
Frames routine Senate confirmation negotiations as a covert Trump protection scheme using activist language.
Adopts MeidasTouch's loaded terms like 'scam' and 'sneak through' while omitting Cornyn and Tillis's demands and approvals that drove the changes.
Writer's Worldview
“Progressive anti-Trump narrative enforcer”
3 findings · 1 omission · 4 sources compared
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Narrative Analysis
The Raw Story article frames Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s rescission notice as an attempted overnight deception by centering partisan social media commentary and omitting subsequent administrative clarifications.
Key Findings
- Loaded framing from a single partisan source. The piece adopts MeidasTouch co-founder Brett Meiselas’s language of “sneak through at midnight” and “scam” in the headline and lede, then treats the organization’s social media posts as the primary analytical lens for interpreting the DOJ notice.
- Omission of a follow-up order. The article does not mention a second clarification issued by Blanche that limited IRS audit immunity to the original named plaintiffs rather than broader affiliates, a step confirmed by Sen. John Cornyn’s office and reported by multiple outlets.
- Narrow sourcing. All substantive claims rest on MeidasTouch statements; the article contains no quotes from primary DOJ documents, Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Thom Tillis, or other senators who conditioned their confirmation support on the changes.
What Was Missing and Why It Matters
The article does not report that Blanche’s actions responded directly to written demands from Republican senators who later stated the adjustments met their conditions. This verifiable sequence shows the timing aligned with confirmation negotiations rather than an unprompted administrative maneuver.
Source and Author Context
Alexander Willis is a senior editor at Raw Story with prior experience covering state government in Alabama and Tennessee. The outlet maintains a consistent editorial focus on Republican administrations.
Comparison With Other Coverage
NPR, ABC News, and Bloomberg each described the rescission as part of an explicit agreement with Sens. Cornyn and Tillis, noting the second order narrowing the immunity provision. Those accounts treat the episode as a confirmation-related negotiation documented in Senate statements and official notices, rather than an inferred attempt to preserve the original terms.
Bottom Line
The Raw Story piece accurately records MeidasTouch’s criticism of the notice language but relies on that criticism to supply both the facts and the interpretation, leaving out documented follow-up steps that altered the scope of the immunity provision. This approach produces a narrower account than reporting that incorporates the Senate negotiations and subsequent orders.
Further Reading
Neutral Rewrite
Here's how this article reads with loaded language removed and missing context included.
Blanche Rescinds Anti-Weaponization Fund Notice During Confirmation Review
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a notice Sunday night stating that the Justice Department had rescinded its May 18 order establishing an “anti-weaponization fund” tied to a prior settlement. The action occurred as Blanche sought Senate confirmation as attorney general.
The original May 18 order followed an agreement in which former President Donald Trump dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. In exchange, the settlement provided a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded payment and included provisions granting Trump, his family, and businesses immunity from certain IRS audits. Senate Republicans, including Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, had conditioned their support for Blanche’s confirmation on termination of both the fund and the audit immunity provisions.
Blanche’s notice addressed the fund directly. A separate clarification order limited the scope of the IRS immunity to the original plaintiffs named in the settlement—Trump and his son—rather than extending it to additional affiliates. Cornyn’s office confirmed that the changes met the senators’ stated conditions for supporting confirmation.
Critics, including the progressive media organization MeidasTouch, examined the accompanying memo and argued that it did not fully terminate the $1.7 billion fund or the immunity arrangement. They noted that the memo discussed the immunity as applying only retroactively to the parties involved and stated that the notice was not signed by all parties required under paragraph 8 of the original agreement. MeidasTouch described the document as failing to rescind the immunity provisions and questioned its enforceability.
The notice and clarification were released publicly on the same evening. Republican senators who had raised objections to the earlier orders subsequently indicated that the new actions satisfied their requirements. The Justice Department has not issued further statements on additional steps related to the settlement.
Investigation Log · 30 steps
Starting investigation...
Investigating Raw Story
Investigating Alexander Willis
Source: Raw Story
Raw Story is an online news site founded in 2004 that publishes a mix of its own reporting, syndicated articles, and aggregated content. It is owned by Raw Story Media, Inc., with John K. Byrne as founder, chairman, and CEO and Michael Rogers as vice chairman. The site has received awards for investigative work on domestic extremism and congressional conflicts of interest and partnered with DCReport from 2019 to 2021.
Source: Alexander Willis
Alexander Willis is a senior editor at Raw Story who graduated from the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas and lives in the Metro Nashville area. His prior roles include covering the Alabama Legislature and governor’s office for Alabama Daily News and government/politics for the Williamson Scene in Middle Tennessee. No independent statements on his personal politics were located.
Searching for "Todd Blanche DOJ rescinds anti-weaponization fund Trump IRS immunity"
Verify the core claims about Blanche's notice and what it actually did regarding the fund and IRS immunity.
Searching for ""Blanche" "anti-weaponization fund" OR "IRS immunity" settlement Trump"
Find primary documents or neutral reporting on the exact terms of Blanche's notice.
Searching for "MeidasTouch Blanche notice fine print IRS immunity"
Check MeidasTouch claims against official actions.
Comparing coverage of "Todd Blanche rescinds anti-weaponization fund Trump IRS immunity"
Coverage comparison completed
Framing
The article adopts MeidasTouch's loaded language ("sneak through," "scam," "sham document") as the framing for Blanche's official notice, presenting their social media posts as the primary analysis.
This turns a routine administrative clarification into an implied conspiracy, leading readers to see legitimate confirmation negotiations as deception.
Omission
The article omits that Blanche issued a separate clarification order limiting IRS audit immunity to the original plaintiffs (Trump and his son) rather than broader affiliates, as confirmed by Cornyn's office and reported by NPR and Bloomberg.
This directly contradicts the claim that the immunity was "reaffirmed" or left intact without change.
Source Credibility
The article relies exclusively on MeidasTouch (a partisan progressive outlet) for its substantive claims while ignoring official DOJ documents and statements from Republican senators who approved the action.
Creates the false impression of consensus around the "scam" narrative when the actual parties involved (Senate Republicans) viewed it as resolving their concerns.
Missing Context
Blanche's actions were taken in direct response to written demands from Sens. Cornyn and Tillis, who then confirmed the changes satisfied their conditions for supporting his confirmation.
Shows the move was transparent negotiation, not a midnight scam.
Writing analysis narrative
Writing verdict summary
Writing neutral rewrite
Investigation complete. Preparing report...
Neutral rewrite ready
Analysis narrative ready
**Investigation complete.** Raw Story's article is a D-grade piece that frames a routine confirmation clarification as a secret "scam" by relying almost entirely on MeidasTouch social media posts while omitting key facts. **Key findings:** - The article adopts partisan loaded language ("sneak through," "scam," "sham document") from MeidasTouch as its framing. - It omits Blanche's second clarifying order that narrowed IRS audit immunity to the original plaintiffs (Trump and his son), as confirmed by Sens. Cornyn and Tillis. - It ignores that the actions were taken in direct response to written demands from Republican senators who then approved the changes. **Verdict:** Progressive anti-Trump narrative enforcement via source stacking and critical omissions. The rewrite would lead with the official DOJ actions and Senate context.
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