Acting attorney general faces a tougher confirmation fight
Acting attorney general Todd Blanche’s path to confirmation is under fire after opinion writers and senators flagged his May 19 release order in President Donald Trump’s IRS case. Critics say written answers show he still acts like Trump’s lawyer—and two GOP senators remain key votes.
Key Takeaways
- Blanche, the acting attorney general and AG nominee, signed a May 19 release order tied to Trump’s $10 billion IRS lawsuit.
- In written Senate answers, he said the order remains in effect—despite a federal judge’s contrary ruling.
- Washington Post columnist George Will urged senators to reject the nomination over self-dealing concerns.
- Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are in White House talks as pivotal Judiciary Committee votes.
What did Blanche’s written answers reveal?
According to an MS NOW opinion by former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman, twelve Senate Judiciary Committee members pressed Blanche in writing. Sen. Chris Coons asked whether the May 19 release order is still in effect. Blanche answered, “Yes.”
That claim clashes with U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, who effectively barred Trump from relying on the settlement and called the suit a manipulation of federal court “brought for an improper purpose.” Akerman notes the Justice Department was not a party to Trump’s personal IRS lawsuit.
Blanche was the only signatory to the Office of the Attorney General release that went beyond a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and, critics say, conferred IRS and other government immunity on the president, his family, businesses and affiliates. He previously served as Trump’s lead lawyer in the New York case that produced 34 felony convictions.
Why are opinion writers urging a Senate rejection?
In a Washington Post opinion, George Will argued there are “many sufficient reasons to oppose confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general,” saying presidents are owed only limited deference—and today’s president “is owed little.” Will highlighted that Blanche, while acting attorney general, signed a memo pledging the IRS is “Forever Barred” from examinations of Trump, certain family members, the Trump Organization and “related or affiliated individuals.”
Will called the arrangement an example of “self-dealing” and cited former attorney general William Barr’s “embarrassingly backhanded endorsement” that Blanche “will run the department as effectively as anyone could under President Trump.” For more on wild political headlines, see our Bizarre News & Florida Man hub.
Who could still decide Blanche’s fate?
Politico reports Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have been in discussions with the White House to move Blanche’s confirmation forward. Both have raised concerns about the settlement; with a narrow Judiciary Committee margin, one Republican no could stall the nomination.
Akerman also flags contradictions: Blanche told Cornyn the release does not cover unnamed affiliates, then told Sen. Mazie Hirono the document “speaks for itself.” Asked about other agencies beyond IRS and Treasury, he similarly retreated to that phrase. Critics say those evasions strengthen the case against making the acting attorney general permanent.