Why it Matters

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinded the Justice Department's controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund late Sunday, a direct concession aimed at breaking a Senate confirmation standoff driven by two outgoing Republican senators.

The move comes after Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) refused to commit their votes to Blanche's permanent confirmation as attorney general, forcing the Senate Judiciary Committee to cancel a scheduled confirmation vote. Both senators are not returning to Congress next year, giving them unusual leverage with little political cost.

But a breakthrough has emerged. The New York Times reported that the two Republican holdouts,would support him. They had vowed that they would not confirm Mr. Blanche for the role unless he provided written assurances that the Justice Department had formally killed a planned $1.8 billion fund to pay those who claim they were unfairly persecuted by the government.

What They're Saying

The standoff had put President Trump in an awkward spot, publicly clashing with members of his own party at a moment when his Justice Department lacks a confirmed leader. Blanche has been Acting Attorney General ever since Trump removed Pam Bondi from her role n April.

Trump has been direct about his frustration. On July 30, he posted on social media:

"If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn't Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren't going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill…"

He added that he had "no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office."

On August 1, Trump escalated further, posting on Truth Social that if Cornyn and Tillis did not confirm Blanche, the anti-weaponization fund would return.

Cornyn, for his part, had been unambiguous about his requirements. Asked by ABC News whether Blanche could count on his vote without written commitments, Cornyn said, "That is correct."

The White House has publicly called for Blanche's confirmation "without delay." Whether Blanche's written assurances to GOP senators over the weekend are enough to get him there remains the open question.

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