Todd Blanche, serving as acting attorney general, cleared a major procedural barrier on Tuesday, laying the groundwork for renewed momentum at the Department of Justice once his appointment receives full Senate approval, CNN reported.
Following a favorable vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee, by a majority of 12 to 10, Blanche now faces his ultimate confirmation requirement: securing votes from nearly every Republican senator during the upcoming floor ballot.
Blanche, who previously served as President Donald Trump's personal defense counsel, was elevated to lead the department after former Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted over her mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein file releases, which triggered widespread political fallout for both the White House and federal law enforcement. Trump eventually removed Bondi after expressing frustration over her failure to aggressively prosecute key figures.
The primary roadblocks to Blanche’s confirmation stemmed from self-inflicted controversies. Most notably, he supervised an unprecedented legal settlement between Trump and his own administration resolving claims over the unauthorized disclosure of Trump's tax records by an IRS contractor.
The resulting backlash centered heavily on a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" created to benefit Trump allies, including individuals charged in the January 6 Capitol riots. Although Blanche previously conceded the fund was a misstep and pledged not to implement it, questioning during confirmation hearings by Texas Senator John Cornyn revealed an active addendum shielding Trump and his family from future IRS audits or inquiries regarding unspecified past matters.
To secure committee approval, Blanche needed the support of both Cornyn - who lost his primary in May - and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who is not seeking reelection.
Disagreements over the deal grew severe enough that Republican leaders postponed the committee vote over concerns Blanche lacked sufficient votes, with Tillis and Cornyn publicly accusing a White House political advisor of undermining negotiations.
Protracted discussions between Blanche's aides and Cornyn's legal counsel took place over several days to draft explicit text guaranteeing the permanent termination of the agreement. By Sunday evening, Blanche announced a final resolution.
On Tuesday, Cornyn thanked Blanche for negotiating the resolution and expressed expectations that the department would fulfill its promises in future matters.
“We need a stabilizing force at the Department of Justice, and Mr. Blanche deserves the opportunity to provide that, as opposed to continuing to serve in an acting capacity," Cornyn remarked.
Tillis similarly signaled support, stating, “Going to support Mr. Blanche’s nomination, but what I hope I see out of him is a bending of the curve of this absurdity."
Both Republican votes were indispensable, as Blanche needed unanimous support from committee Republicans to advance to a floor vote.