Todd Blanche gains key GOP support for attorney general

Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, appeared closer to becoming US attorney general on Monday after two Republican senators dropped their opposition to his nomination.

Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis had raised concerns about a $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of politically motivated prosecution and a tax audit immunity deal with Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization.

Blanche issued a written order over the weekend rescinding the so-called “anti-weaponization fund” and said the audit immunity agreement would apply only retroactively to past tax years, not to future filings.

Cornyn and Tillis said Monday they welcomed the moves and looked forward to voting to advance Blanche's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee vote is scheduled for Tuesday. Republicans hold a 12-10 majority on the panel, and the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to consider the nomination later in the week.

Senate Democrats oppose Blanche's nomination, saying he has treated the Department of Justice as an extension of the president's legal team. Blanche has also faced criticism from victims of Jeffrey Epstein over his handling of the release of investigative files about the convicted sex offender.

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. He has overseen prosecutions of presidential adversaries and helped negotiate a legal settlement between Trump and the government he controls.

The settlement stems from Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the illegal disclosure of his tax records by an agency contractor. It proposed audit immunity for past tax years and a $1.776 billion fund for people who say they were unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice.

Federal judges have separately blocked the fund and condemned the tax settlement. US press reports said the settlement could help Trump avoid past liabilities of up to $100 million.