Blanche nomination faces GOP opposition over DOJ settlement

What This is

• Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, is up for a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on his nomination to serve as attorney general.
• Sen. John Cornyn says he will not support Blanche unless the administration provides a written change to a DOJ-brokered Trump-IRS settlement.
• Cornyn wants the settlement to clearly end the proposed roughly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund so it cannot be revived later.
• Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis also want the settlement’s tax-audit immunity language narrowed, including for Trump and his family.
• Blanche has said the fund is not moving forward, but Cornyn says he is not convinced without formal written changes by a near-term deadline.
• Democratic senators say Blanche privately admitted regret about creating the fund, but Blanche denies telling them he “made a mistake.”
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she is undecided as Blanche seeks support, while DOJ highlights major settlements and policy moves that benefit Alaska.
• Separate opinion pieces argue Blanche’s closeness to Trump and his handling of settlements raise doubts about his independence and fitness to lead DOJ.

Why This Matters

• The fight sets the terms for how much protection a president and family can get from normal tax enforcement and audits.
• It tests how much leverage individual senators can use to force written changes before confirming a top law-enforcement official.
• It shapes public trust in whether the Justice Department applies rules evenly, including in cases touching the president.
• It signals how a future attorney general might handle politically sensitive settlements and internal pressure.