Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Tuesday refuted claims of a deal with the Trump administration that would secure his support for Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, potentially stalling the nominee in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Fake news alert: there is no ‘deal’ on Blanche nom. They know what they have to do,” Cornyn posted on X, signaling continued resistance ahead of the committee's scheduled vote on Thursday.
The dispute centers on a $1.8 billion compensation fund included in a settlement between President Trump and the Justice Department. Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are demanding the DOJ renegotiate the terms to explicitly bar the fund, which they argue could be used to pay individuals who claim they were unfairly prosecuted during the Biden administration.
Blanche, who is currently acting attorney general, has told senators the fund is dead and will not be revived. But Cornyn noted that the fund remains in the settlement documents, leaving it vulnerable to future resurrection. “We just need for the documents to conform to what his testimony was at the hearing where he said the weaponization fund is dead,” Cornyn told reporters.
The settlement, announced in May, resolved Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax records. It also included a pledge that the IRS would not pursue Trump or his family for unpaid taxes related to returns filed before the deal's effective date. A former IRS contractor was sentenced to five years in prison for the leak.
Cornyn and Tillis argue that altering the settlement terms is more practical than passing legislation to block the fund. The senators want to ensure the fund cannot be used to compensate MAGA allies, a concern that has sparked heated debates within the GOP conference. Nearly half the Republican senators voiced displeasure at a closed-door meeting with Blanche earlier this year.
The standoff comes amid broader tensions over the Trump administration's aggressive policy moves, including threats to withhold funding over transgender student policies. Meanwhile, the administration's use of a dormant 'zombie court' for terror suspect deportations has raised legal questions.
As the Thursday vote approaches, Cornyn's position could determine Blanche's fate. The nominee needs support from all Republican senators on the committee to advance, and Cornyn's refusal to budge underscores the deep divisions over the settlement's implications.
