Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Trump says he will revive the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and threatens to pull Blanche’s nomination and keep him as acting attorney general
Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis were holding Todd Blanche’s nomination over the fund, which was created in the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS.
What happened
On August 1, 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social that if Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis would not approve Todd Blanche, he would keep him as acting attorney general and push an anti-weaponization bill. He added that the fund “will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done.”
On July 31, Trump had said the fund was “dead” but that he wished it were not. On July 30 he said he could withdraw and renominate Blanche after the two senators left office. Blanche had testified on July 15 that the fund was dead.
Blanche announced on August 2 that he was rescinding the fund, and the Senate confirmed him 50–49 at 4:31 a.m. on August 8. The Judiciary Committee had advanced him August 4. Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski opposed.
Who benefited
Trump signaled that a compensation fund for his allies was not dead, regardless of what his nominee swore. He also reminded the Senate that he could keep his chosen attorney general in place without its consent. People who would claim payouts from a revived fund stood to gain.
Who wanted something
Trump wanted the fund back, by his own posts. The Justice Department’s architects of the fund, including Blanche, had agreed to it in the IRS settlement before bipartisan criticism and a court ruling forced its disavowal. Senate Republicans ultimately confirmed Blanche rather than test the acting-attorney-general threat.
Who lost out
Taxpayers would pay for $1.8 billion in payouts set by the administration to its own supporters, your taxpayer money. The Senate’s advice-and-consent role was threatened with a bypass through an acting official. Senators and a judge had been told under oath the fund was finished.
Why it matters
The president promised to revive a fund his attorney general nominee had called dead under oath, and threatened to skip confirmation to do it. The sworn word of a department head did not stop him contradicting it within three weeks. The Senate confirmed Blanche anyway.
Sources NewsweekGV WireAssociated Press (via Post and Courier)AxiosThe Guardian