Todd Blanche moved closer to becoming the next attorney general on Sunday night after Senator John Cornyn announced that he had struck an agreement with the Department of Justice over a disputed settlement tied to President Donald Trump. The breakthrough resolves a standoff that had put Blanche’s nomination in doubt just days before a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee vote.
Table of Contents
What The Cornyn Strikes Deal Actually Changes
Cornyn’s office confirmed that the agreement requires the Justice Department to formally cancel a controversial one point eight billion dollar fund that had been created as part of a broader settlement Trump reached with the IRS earlier this year. Critics referred to the fund informally as a payout pool meant to compensate Trump aligned political figures.
Under the new arrangement announced by Cornyn’s spokesperson Natalie Yezbick the DOJ will issue a binding written order permanently shutting down that fund. The order also narrows a separate IRS audit immunity provision so that it only covers the individuals who were actual plaintiffs in the underlying lawsuit including Trump himself rather than extending protection more broadly to his family or associates.
Blanche confirmed the terms in a post on X shared the same evening. He said his team had worked through the outstanding concerns raised by senators and had issued an order stating the disputed fund is rescinded and carries no legal force going forward. He added that the department’s official interpretation of the audit settlement limits its reach strictly to the named parties in the case.
A Tense 72 Hour Standoff Before Tuesday’s Vote
The agreement follows roughly three days of public friction between Trump and Cornyn. Trump had criticized the Texas senator repeatedly and expressed frustration that the fund meant to benefit his allies had already been pulled back. At one point Trump floated a more drastic option suggesting he could withdraw Blanche’s nomination altogether and simply resubmit it at a later date once Cornyn and fellow Republican critic Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina were no longer in Congress.
That threat added pressure to an already delicate political calculation. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Blanche’s nomination Tuesday and with every Democrat on the panel opposed a single Republican no vote could have doomed his chances entirely. Cornyn had positioned himself as that potential deciding vote making his objections to the IRS settlement a genuine obstacle rather than a symbolic protest.
Tillis Signals He Will Follow Cornyn’s Lead
Tillis another swing vote on the committee had also expressed reservations about the settlement in the days leading up to the deal. In a post shared Saturday on X he said it appeared Trump intended to revive what he described as a payout fund for political allies. He added that he still considered Blanche qualified for the role and called it unfortunate that the nomination risked stalling over the dispute while expressing hope the matter would be settled before Tuesday’s meeting.
With Cornyn’s agreement now in place Tillis is expected to support moving the nomination forward as well clearing what had been the last major hurdle standing between Blanche and committee approval.
Path To Confirmation Now Clear For Blanche
Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since April when Pam Bondi stepped down from the role. Senate Republican leadership has said it wants a final confirmation vote completed before the end of the week assuming Tuesday’s committee proceedings go smoothly.
The episode highlights how a single senator’s objections tied to a contested financial settlement can slow even a nomination with broad party support. Cornyn’s insistence on written and binding language rather than informal assurances appears to have been the key sticking point throughout the negotiations and now stands as the mechanism that unlocked Blanche’s path toward full Senate confirmation.
