Senate Panel Clears Blanche for Attorney General Vote

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to move forward Tuesday with the nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, following a resolution to concerns raised by two Republican senators over a proposed Justice Department fund. The development ends a brief delay that had threatened to complicate President Donald Trump’s effort to install his former personal lawyer in the department’s top post.

Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both retiring at the end of their terms, had withheld support for Blanche until the administration provided formal assurances that it would terminate the so-called anti-weaponization fund. That initiative, announced by the Trump administration in May, was intended to provide compensation to individuals who claimed they had been unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors. Critics, including some Democrats and civil liberties groups, warned that the fund could extend payments to people involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, many of whom received pardons from Trump on his first day back in office.

Blanche issued a written order late Sunday formally ending the program. In a joint statement, Cornyn and Tillis said the order addressed their objections and that they now planned to support advancing the nomination out of committee. The fund had already drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Congress, with lawmakers questioning both its legal basis and its potential to reward those who had clashed with law enforcement.

Blanche’s path to the permanent attorney general role comes after a period of turnover at the Justice Department. He was confirmed as deputy attorney general last year and stepped into the acting role after Trump dismissed Pam Bondi in April. Reports at the time indicated that Trump had grown frustrated with Bondi’s reluctance to pursue aggressive legal measures against his political opponents. Blanche, who represented Trump during the New York hush-money trial, has maintained that the department under his leadership would focus on restoring public confidence in federal law enforcement.

The episode illustrates the internal tensions within the Republican majority as it seeks to confirm Trump’s preferred appointees while managing lingering concerns from members who are departing Congress. With Republicans holding 53 seats in the full Senate, Blanche’s confirmation appears likely once the nomination clears the committee. Still, the need for last-minute negotiations over the fund underscores the degree to which questions about the department’s independence and priorities continue to shape the confirmation process.

Observers note that the anti-weaponization fund represented an unusual attempt to use taxpayer resources in a manner that blurred the line between compensation for legitimate grievances and political signaling. Its termination, while satisfying the two holdout senators, does not resolve broader questions about how the Justice Department will handle cases involving political violence or claims of selective prosecution going forward. Lawmakers and advocacy groups on both sides are likely to continue monitoring the department’s actions closely once Blanche assumes the permanent post.

For now, the immediate procedural hurdle has been cleared, allowing the nomination to proceed to a full Senate vote in the coming weeks.