Senate Republicans expected to advance Todd Blanche nomination after ‘anti-weaponization’ fund holdup

Blanche’s nomination had been held up over concerns from GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, but the parties reached a deal to end the standoff.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday are expected to advance Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination after it had been delayed over concerns from two GOP members on the panel.

Blanche’s path to confirmation had been on hold after Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — both of whom are leaving Congress in January — raised concerns about the “anti-weaponization” fund that the Trump administration tried to establish in May to give taxpayer-funded payments to Trump allies, potentially including Jan. 6 rioters Trump pardoned on his first day back in office.

Blanche said Sunday that he had reached a deal to amend the settlement that Cornyn and Tillis later said satisfied their concerns. Trump had recently defended the fund and said he would revive it if Blanche’s nomination was blocked.

If it passes, the nomination would advance to a vote before the full Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats.

Kicking off Tuesday’s hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that the demands from Tillis and Cornyn about the IRS settlement were “common sense.”