The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general, following weeks of delay tied to a Justice Department fund critics said could benefit Jan. 6 rioters. Blanche currently serves as acting attorney general and previously served as deputy attorney general.
The vote marks a pivotal step for a nomination that stalled last week when Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina withheld support over the Justice Department’s settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. That settlement shielded Trump and his family from tax audits tied to returns filed before the deal, and lawmakers worried a related $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” could be used to compensate Capitol riot defendants.
Blanche moved to clear that obstacle over the weekend. According to reporting from NPR, Blanche formally rescinded the fund late Sunday, prompting Cornyn and Tillis to say they now plan to support his nomination.
Democrats on the committee have raised separate concerns rooted in Blanche’s tenure atop the Justice Department. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement entered into the Congressional Record that Blanche has prioritized loyalty to Trump over the department’s independence during his time as deputy and acting attorney general. Durbin also pointed to Blanche’s decision to personally interview Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, which preceded her transfer to a lower-security federal prison, as a step that drew bipartisan scrutiny.
The New York City Bar Association also urged the committee to reject the nomination. In a July 13 letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Durbin, the bar association argued Blanche’s record as deputy and acting attorney general showed a pattern of eroding prosecutorial independence, citing politically motivated prosecutions, disregard for court orders and ethical concerns.
Trump has defended his nominee and downplayed the delays. He has also acknowledged he could temporarily withdraw the nomination if Republican holdouts did not come around, though that scenario appears to have been avoided following the weekend agreement.
Blanche was first confirmed by the Senate as deputy attorney general in February 2025 by a 52-46 vote. Before joining the Justice Department, he served as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys in multiple criminal cases.
If the committee advances the nomination Tuesday, it moves to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.
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