Republicans back Trump's ex-lawyer for attorney-general after deal on controversial fund

Key Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have agreed to support Todd Blanche's nomination for US attorney-general, following a deal to cancel a controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" fund. The senators had previously blocked Blanche's confirmation, demanding assurances that the Justice Department would not proceed with the fund, which they argued could be misused.

Blanche, who previously served as Donald Trump's personal lawyer and is currently the acting attorney-general, announced on social media that the fund has been formally rescinded. Senators Cornyn and Tillis expressed their gratitude for the resolution and stated their intention to vote to advance Blanche's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon. This support is expected to clear the way for a committee vote as early as Tuesday.

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We want to express our gratitude to Mr Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.

The agreement resolves a significant challenge to Trump's nominee in Congress. The "anti-weaponisation" fund was established as part of a settlement to a lawsuit Trump filed against his own government over the handling of his tax records. While supporters claimed it was meant to compensate those unfairly targeted by the government, critics like Senators Cornyn and Tillis viewed it as a potential diversion of taxpayer money to Trump's allies, particularly in light of the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

Adding to the controversy, US District Judge Kathleen Williams recently questioned the settlement's legitimacy, describing Trump's lawsuit as an "unparalleled exercise in self-dealing" designed to "manipulate the judicial process." The deal also appears to retain a ban on auditing past tax claims for Trump, his family, and his companies for returns filed before May 18.

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I understand there's been a sign-off, but … I don't know what they agreed. I think Todd Blanche agreed to reconfirm things that he's already said, and what he said was OK.