Republican Senator John Cornyn is blocking Todd Blanche’s path to confirmation as attorney general, demanding written assurances from the Trump administration about a controversial $1.8 billion settlement before he will vote to advance the nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Cornyn, who sits on the committee, has insisted that the Justice Department nullify the settlement’s “anti-weaponization fund” in writing and narrow the scope of tax audit immunity Trump received as part of the deal.
The standoff forced the Judiciary Committee to postpone a scheduled vote on Blanche’s nomination on July 30, leaving his confirmation in serious doubt. Cornyn canceled a planned meeting with Blanche on July 29 after saying the DOJ had not provided the written guarantees he requested. “They know what they need to do,” Cornyn told reporters. “But they simply refuse to do it.”
In response, President Trump suggested on July 30 that he might temporarily withdraw Blanche’s nomination rather than capitulate to Cornyn’s demands, according to NBC News and the Washington Post. Trump said he could pull the nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and fellow holdout Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, leave office in January, avoiding the need for their votes.
The Settlement at the Heart of the Dispute
The conflict centers on a settlement Blanche, then acting attorney general, finalized in May 2026 to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. As part of the deal, Blanche announced a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who alleged they were victims of DOJ weaponization. The fund also included an order barring the IRS from auditing Trump, his family, and his businesses, according to the Texas Tribune.
The anti-weaponization fund drew swift bipartisan backlash, with critics warning it could compensate Capitol riot participants. In June 2026, Blanche abandoned the fund, but he continued the tax audit immunity for Trump and his associates. At his confirmation hearing on July 15, Blanche testified the fund was “moot” and assured Cornyn it was dead, according to the Texas Tribune.
Cornyn rejected the verbal commitment. He has demanded that Blanche put in writing that the fund cannot be revived through lawsuits or other legal maneuvers, and that he narrow the audit immunity to apply only to people who were parties to the original lawsuit. “I can see why he wants it, because it provides immunity from audits that no other taxpayer could possibly get,” Cornyn said, according to the Texas Tribune. “That’s why we need to conform the actual document to what Todd Blanche testified to under oath.”
Blanche is Trump’s former personal lawyer who has led the Justice Department on an acting basis since April. Under Senate rules, a single Republican “no” vote on the Judiciary Committee would leave the panel deadlocked in a tie, blocking the nomination from advancing to the full Senate, according to the New York Times. Republicans control 12 of 22 seats on the committee.
Cornyn’s Leverage and the Primary Loss
Cornyn’s ability to block Blanche’s nomination reflects his unusual position within the Republican conference. The Texas senator lost his Republican primary in May 2026 to Attorney General Ken Paxton after Trump endorsed Paxton, according to the Texas Tribune. With his Senate career ending in January, Cornyn is no longer bound by the political pressures that typically push senators to defer to the White House on nominees.
In recent months, Cornyn has used this leverage aggressively. He successfully pressured the Trump administration to accelerate the release of funds Congress appropriated for state border spending, much of which was expected to go to Texas. He also threatened to vote against diplomatic nominees unless the administration committed to distributing unspent funds from a global HIV program that began during George W. Bush’s presidency, according to the Texas Tribune.
Tillis, also a lame-duck Republican, has joined Cornyn in demanding written assurances on the settlement. Trump dismissed Cornyn’s concerns on July 29, suggesting the senator might be motivated by personal grievance. “Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump said. Cornyn quickly rejected that characterization. “That’s a convenient excuse and it happens to be untrue,” he said.
Sources
- Texas Tribune — detailed reporting on Cornyn’s specific demands, the settlement structure, Blanche’s testimony, and Cornyn’s primary loss context
- NBC News — Trump’s statement about temporarily withdrawing the nomination
- Washington Post — Trump’s threat to pull the nomination and GOP senators’ demands on the IRS settlement
- ABC News — Republican holdouts meeting with Blanche and Trump’s floating of nomination withdrawal
- CNN — committee vote postponement and the controversial anti-weaponization fund
- New York Times — Senate Judiciary Committee math showing a single Republican “no” vote blocks advancement
- The Hill — Cornyn’s cancellation of meeting with Blanche and his statement he is “not prepared to vote yes”
