US senators voted along party lines on Tuesday to advance US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer as attorney general after he formally scrapped a controversial US$1.8 billion fund created through the administration’s settlement of a lawsuit brought by the president.
Todd Blanche, who became deputy attorney general after Trump took office, has been serving as acting attorney general since his predecessor, Pam Bondi, resigned in April.
The closely scrutinised Senate Judiciary Committee vote followed two hours of debate about Blanche’s relationship with Trump and the unusual settlement that almost derailed his confirmation, with Republicans voting in favour and Democrats opposing the nomination by a 12-10 vote. Blanche didn’t participate in the meeting as it was not a hearing.
Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had delayed the committee vote for a week. They threatened to oppose Blanche unless he dismantled the proposed “Anti-Weaponisation Fund” and narrowed an agreement limiting Internal Revenue Service audits of Trump and his family.
The fund emerged from the Trump administration’s settlement of a lawsuit the president filed against the IRS over the leaking of his tax records.
It was intended to compensate people who claimed politically motivated government investigations had targeted them.
However, critics warned that it could be used to benefit Trump allies, including defendants charged over the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Blanche secured the two Republicans’ support after issuing a written order declaring that the fund had been rescinded and clarifying that the settlement would not shield Trump and his family from future IRS audits. No money had been distributed from the fund.
Cornyn and Tillis said the commitments satisfied their concerns, allowing Blanche to secure the support of every Republican on the committee.
Democrats remain sceptical of Blanche’s fund assurances
Democrats, however, remained deeply sceptical of Blanche’s assurances that he would dismantle the fund.
They also questioned whether he could remain independent given his close ties to Trump.
“My fear is that Todd Blanche will represent Donald Trump,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said during the hearing. “He will be his consigliere.”
Blanche represented Trump in the Manhattan criminal case in which the president was convicted in 2024, of falsifying business records connected to reimbursements for a payment made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
He also represented Trump in federal criminal proceedings involving classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.
Blanche’s nomination now moves to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.
Democrats are expected to remain united against him, and with Senator Mitch McConnell absent, he can afford to lose no more than two Republican votes to secure approval.
China-related cases do not feature prominently in debate
China did not feature prominently in Tuesday’s committee debate, and Blanche has established only a limited public record on China-related enforcement during his brief tenure as acting attorney general.
In July, while serving as acting attorney general, Blanche announced that the US Department of Justice and the Consumer Product Safety Commission had filed a federal lawsuit against two Chinese companies – Cixi Miaojie Electrical Appliance Co and Changsha Jiayi Tianzhuo Trading Co – seeking a mandatory recall of Lakkzoom immersion water heaters over alleged fire and safety hazards.
“The Department of Justice will not allow dangerous products manufactured in China or elsewhere to flow to American consumers and expose unwitting families to the risk of serious injury or death,” Blanche said.
The complaint alleged that the heaters, which were sold for use in bathtubs and pools, could overheat and catch fire within minutes. US regulators said they had received more than 235 reports involving fires linked to the products.
Blanche was himself reportedly targeted in 2024 by Chinese state-linked hackers as part of a broader campaign that compromised US telecommunications networks and targeted prominent American political figures.
ABC News reported, citing people familiar with the investigation, that hackers working on behalf of Chinese intelligence services gained access to some of Blanche’s text messages and recorded phone calls from a mobile phone he used while representing Trump.
The FBI determined that communications with Blanche’s family and friends had been compromised, according to the report, although it remained unclear whether the hackers obtained conversations involving Trump or other sensitive contacts. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
