Trump’s Attorney General Nominee Advances Toward Senate Vote Despite Republican Questions on Canceled Fund

President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, has yet to secure support from key Senate Republicans over his handling of a canceled anti-weaponization fund and meetings with Jeffrey Epstein survivors, Washington Examiner reported.

Blanche currently serves as acting attorney general and previously acted as Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney. The Justice Department canceled the fund, which originated from a $1.776 billion settlement agreement after a lawsuit by Trump over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund had been eligible to make payments to January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters. Sen. John Cornyn stated that the weaponization provision remains enforceable as a contract despite Blanche’s statements that it does not exist.

Cornyn said the agreement states it cannot be changed except by the parties and that any change would have to be in writing. He warned that the administration “just can’t ignore this. ” In written responses to Judiciary Committee members, Blanche answered “inappropriate” 22 times regarding questions on internal deliberations or hypothetical communications related to the fund.

Sen. Thom Tillis requested a debrief from the Epstein survivors who met with Blanche. More than two dozen Epstein survivors released an open letter on Tuesday describing the meeting as a “box-checking exercise” and stating that a vote to confirm Blanche would be a vote against those survivors.

They are lobbying Cornyn and Tillis to oppose his confirmation. A Senate Judiciary Committee vote to advance Blanche to the full Senate is scheduled for July 30, with potential confirmation in the first week of August. Sen.