Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation was successfully moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 12-10 vote Tuesday morning, after days of tension in Washington between the Trump administration and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX).
Tillis and Cornyn were pushing back against the nomination over disputes involving President Donald Trump’s settlement with the IRS, including Trump’s desired anti-weaponization fund that has since been nixed. Blanche's confirmation will now head to a vote before the entire Senate, which is expected on Friday or Saturday, according to a source familiar with the timing.
The DOJ and the two senators eventually reached an agreement over the weekend – confirming that the fund will not happen.
“Given this agreement with Mr. Blanche, I expect the Department to live up to this in future litigation and I will vote to advance him out of the committee today,” Cornyn said during the committee meeting on Tuesday.
"I'm 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,” Tillis said.
.@JohnCornyn: They've been consistent about their assertion on behalf of the USA that the weaponization fund is dead...Given this agreement with Mr. Blanche, I expect the Department to live up to this in future litigation and I will vote to advance him out of the committee today. pic.twitter.com/kNXCEuScNB
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 4, 2026
Others, like Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), were more enthusiastic to support Blanche’s confirmation, posting to X that “in just over 100 days as Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche has put up win after win for the American people.”
“He will be an outstanding Attorney General and I look forward to his leadership at DOJ and Making America Safe Again,” he added.
In just over 100 days as Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche has put up win after win for the American people.
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) August 4, 2026
He will be an outstanding Attorney General and I look forward to his leadership at DOJ and Making America Safe Again. pic.twitter.com/A2p5ZApZfH
Some Democrats were outright opposed to his nomination for the position, which would make him a permanent successor to former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The attorney general is supposed to be the people’s lawyer, the Department of Justice should work on behalf of all of the American people,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the committee’s ranking member, said.
“Mr. Blanche continues to operate as the president’s personal lawyer, treating the Justice Department like a law firm serving one client: the president,” the Democrat added.