Todd Blanche moves closer to Senate confirmation
ABC News
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Video Summary
Senate Republicans John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have agreed to vote for Todd Blanche's confirmation as acting attorney general after securing concessions that effectively dismantle the controversial $1.8 billion "weaponization fund." This deal, reached after weekend negotiations, involved Blanche issuing statements and codifying the fund's termination and a narrowed scope of IRS agreement immunity. Despite this breakthrough, Blanche still requires a full Senate vote, with other senators remaining undecided. The situation highlights a complex dynamic, as President Trump, Blanche's former client, initially appeared willing to withdraw the nomination if a deal wasn't struck, raising questions about whether the fund was more important to him than Blanche's permanent confirmation.
Short Highlights
- Agreement to vote for Todd Blanche's confirmation by Senators Cornyn and Tillis.
- Termination of the $1.8 billion "weaponization fund."
- Narrowed scope of immunity protection within the IRS agreement.
- Blanche still requires a full Senate floor vote for confirmation.
Key Details
Deal Struck to End "Weaponization Fund" [0:14]
- Senators Tillis and Cornyn initially expressed reservations about Todd Blanche's confirmation.
- They were concerned about an "unnamed advisor" and the White House potentially obstructing a written agreement.
- Sources indicate negotiations occurred over the weekend to reach a deal.
"well, there's somebody at the White House. It seems like the White House is standing in the way here of some written agreement, and there's some unnamed advisor."
"Weaponization Fund" Terminated, Immunity Narrowed [0:40]
- The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, released two documents to finalize the agreement.
- One document was a statement, and the other codified the fund's termination.
- The scope of immunity in the IRS agreement settlement was narrowed, a key demand from Senator Cornyn.
"And we got him to confirm his sworn testimony about the scope of the audit protection in the future."
Confirmation Hurdles Remain [1:07]
- The agreement satisfies the demands of Senators Cornyn and Tillis, allowing the markup vote to proceed.
- However, Todd Blanche still needs a vote on the full Senate floor.
- Other senators are reportedly still undecided about his confirmation.
"It satisfies Cornyn's demands and Tillis' demands to have that vote proceed out of the committee, but Todd Blanche still needs a whole Senate floor vote, and there are still other senators who are on the fence about him."
