Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is probably missing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham right now. The South Carolina Republican prevented many critical pieces of legislation from going off the rails, and it nearly happened here. Blanche’s nomination to officially make him the nation’s top law enforcement official was on the verge of being derailed, as Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) weren’t satisfied with Mr. Blanche’s stance on the DOJ’s anti-weaponization fund, a $1.8 billion effort that distributed payments to Americans who believed they were politically persecuted by the Biden DOJ. That days-long impasse is reportedly over. 

President Trump threatened to pull Blanche’s nomination and wait until both Republican senators, both of whom are gone next session, were no longer in the picture. The president is very much for this fund, but Blanche opted to compromise here (via WaPo):

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday formally rescinded key aspects of the Justice Department’s controversial legal settlement with President Donald Trump, a move toward breaking a dayslong impasse with Senate Republicans that had threatened to sink Blanche’s chances of being confirmed to the post.

In a social media post, Blanche highlighted two amendments to the deal the Justice Department struck in May to resolve Trump’s claims against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns to the media. The first formally eliminated the proposed nearly $1.8 billion fund for people who claim they were victims of politicized prosecutions, codifying in writing a pledge Blanche had previously made in sworn testimony.

The second change clarified a separate aspect of the deal that offered Trump, his sons and their affiliated business protections from past tax claims. The revised documents made clear that that protection would only apply retroactively and would not shield the Trumps from future audits.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), both of whom are leaving the Senate after this year, had demanded changes and threatened to vote against Blanche’s nomination if their concerns were not addressed. A “no” vote from either one of them would have been enough to stop the nomination at the committee stage.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said late Sunday in his social media post. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions ... The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.”

So, Blanche’s AG nomination survives the committee. Onto the full floor vote.