- Blanche released a legally enforceable document late Sunday that formally ends the $1.8bn anti-weaponization fund and states that Trump and his family will not receive indefinite protection from audits of future tax filings.
- Outgoing senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, key committee holdouts, said their concerns were resolved after a successful negotiation of the document released by Blanche.
- In a joint statement, the senators welcomed the department’s formal order terminating the fund and said they looked forward to voting to advance Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate judiciary committee.
- The fund and the scope of Trump’s immunity from tax audits arose from a settlement in a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); a federal judge said the US Department of Justice (DoJ) did not make a good faith effort and that the arrangement appeared collusive.
- The fund and the scope of Trump’s immunity from tax audits became dealbreakers for Cornyn and Tillis.
- Over the weekend, Trump defended the fund and threatened to push hard to legislate for it, saying it would immediately be back on the table if senators failed to approve Blanche’s nomination.
Todd Blanche has officially rescinded a controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, a move that has garnered support from key Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, for his nomination as attorney general. The Senate judiciary committee is scheduled to vote on his nomination on Tuesday.234567
The decision to drop the fund came after Blanche provided written assurances to the senators, resolving their concerns about the fund's implications for Donald Trump and his family. The senators stated, “We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund.”8
The fund was part of a settlement related to a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the unauthorized leak of his tax returns. The arrangement faced criticism from a federal judge, who noted that the Department of Justice (DoJ) did not adequately defend the government, suggesting a collusive effort to benefit Trump.
Both Cornyn and Tillis had previously indicated they would block Blanche's nomination unless their concerns were addressed. They expressed satisfaction with the legally enforceable document released by Blanche, which clarifies that Trump will not receive indefinite protection from future tax audits. “We look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate judiciary committee soon,” they added.
Despite the fund's termination, Trump had recently defended it, threatening to push for its reinstatement if Blanche's nomination was not approved.
“Blanche's document also makes clear Trump and his family will not receive indefinite protection from audits of future tax filings — a dealbreaker for Cornyn and Tillis. Trump had defended the fund and threatened to 'push hard' to legislate it, saying it would 'immediately be back on the table' if senators failed to approve Blanche.”
The Guardian
