Cornyn deal clears Todd Blanche for key Senate committee vote
What's next: The Judiciary Committee is set to vote Tuesday, and Blanche would still need at least 50 Senate votes to win confirmation.
Todd Blanche's path to becoming attorney general appeared to reopen after Sen. John Cornyn reached a deal with the Justice Department to permanently end the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that had stalled the nomination. Sen. Thom Tillis also indicated he was satisfied, removing the two Republican holdouts on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche posted documents late Sunday rescinding the May order that created the fund and limiting the related IRS settlement to named plaintiffs, including President Donald Trump. The committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday. If approved there, Blanche would move to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, though the chamber is effectively 52-47 because Sen. Mitch McConnell has been absent since a June fall.