Trump’s IRS carveout threatens to hold up Todd Blanche attorney general nomination

Todd Blanche’s hopes of becoming US attorney general seemed to be in jeopardy on Wednesday after the Department of Justice did not provide written assurances to a key Republican senator that a $1.8bn slush fund was dead.

Blanche has been serving as the premier law enforcement official in the U.S. since April, after Pam Bondi was fired.

If Cornyn opposes Blanche, it would cause his nomination to be voted down in the Judiciary Committee, assuming Democrats remain united in opposition.

The settlement given to Paul Vaughn, who was convicted by a Tennessee jury in 2024 of conspiring to prevent access to an abortion clinic, shows how the goal of a $1.8 billion fund announced in May can continue, despite a public retreat by Mr. Blanche.