Todd Blanche rescinds anti-weaponization fund amid attorney general confirmation

(NBC, KYMA) - After a weekslong standoff between senators and the Trump Administration, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the parties had reached a deal and that he had issued an order on Sunday officially rescinding a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.

Key GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said, in a statement Monday morning, they will support Blanche's nomination when the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on it Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

The fund was part of a settlement that stemmed from a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the IRS, a deal which also shielded the trump family from tax audits.

The fund has been criticized in part because the payouts could extend to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Blanche faced pushback from Sen. Cornyn and Tillis, who said their support for him hinged on the administration rescinding its plans for the fund.

Tillis and Cornyn have feuded with President Trump in the past.

Tillis announced he would not seek re-election, and Cornyn was unseated by Trump-endorsed GOP primary challenger Ken Paxton.

The two senators previously said other senators shared their concerns about the fund, but they did not sit on the Judiciary Committee and therefore could not vote on Blanche's nomination until it came before the full Senate.

Blanche had testified before Congress that the fund was dead, but Trump threatened Saturday to "push hard" to revive it.