- The White House was directly involved in acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s order to formally rescind the president’s fund, with chief of staff Susie Wiles and legislative affairs director James Braid 'deeply involved,' one official said.
- Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer and the acting attorney general, was viewed as loyal and wanted Senate confirmation, even though he could remain in an acting role or serve as deputy attorney general; the White House wanted to help him.
- Late Sunday night, Blanche published two documents: a signed memo formally rescinding the order that established the fund and an unsigned statement clarifying the terms of the IRS protections; Tillis and Cornyn quickly approved.
- Trump was aware of the deal between Blanche and Senate Republicans John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, but said on Monday he did not personally review it and told reporters, 'I didn’t look at it.'
- For weeks, the Justice Department negotiated with Cornyn’s staff, with his chief legal counsel leading talks; Blanche’s staff sent several memo versions, and the lawyer claimed to find loopholes in each.
- Some Justice Department attorneys questioned whether Blanche’s signed memo was legally binding because it did not include the signature of Trump’s current personal lawyers.
- Though Trump still believed in the nearly $1.8 billion fund, top advisers convinced him rescinding it was the only way to ensure Blanche’s attorney general nomination would advance; an official said, 'He wants Blanche confirmed.'
- Trump called the fund 'as a positive' but said there were no other plans to revive it through another mechanism: 'There’s no other avenues that I know of.'
The White House's involvement in Todd Blanche's rescinding of the anti-weaponization fund highlights the intricate dynamics of his attorney general nomination.1234561213
Sources indicate that chief of staff Susie Wiles and legislative affairs director James Braid were deeply involved in the process, despite some official claims to the contrary.
President Donald Trump, while expressing support for the nearly $1.8 billion fund, acknowledged that he did not personally review the deal struck with Senate Republicans John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, stating, “I didn’t look at it.” However, he was convinced by advisers that rescinding the fund was necessary for Blanche's confirmation.78
Blanche, who is well-liked within the White House, aimed for Senate confirmation despite the option to continue in an acting capacity. The Justice Department engaged in negotiations with Cornyn's staff to find a compromise, with Blanche's team sending multiple memo versions to address concerns raised by the senator's legal counsel.
On Sunday, Blanche announced the deal's completion, stating in his memo that the fund “shall have no force or effect” and credited “good faith discussions” with the senators. However, some Justice Department attorneys have raised questions about the legal binding of the signed document, as it lacks signatures from Trump's current personal lawyers.
“Blanche's signed memo said the fund 'shall have no force or effect' and credited 'good faith discussions' with Cornyn and Tillis, who quickly confirmed approval. Some Justice Department attorneys questioned whether the memo was legally binding without signatures from Trump's current personal lawyers.”
