After threatening to block acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation, Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn said on Monday, August 3, 2026, they will support his nomination. Blanche had served as Deputy Attorney General before the ousting of former Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom he is now aiming to replace permanently.
The Senators’ endorsements paved the way for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to advance Blanche’s nomination on the following Tuesday. It came after a deal was reached between lawmakers and the U.S. Justice Department to formally rescind the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund proposed to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Paul Charlton, a Partner at Dentons, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss Blanche’s ongoing nomination process.
Charlton argues that the agreement reached with lawmakers does not eliminate questions around the proposed settlement or the immunity provisions that prompted opposition from some Republicans.
According to Charlton, the written assurances that Blanche provided to senators would not override the original agreement unless all parties involved agreed to the changes.
“Everything Todd Blanche is telling the Senate now is a kind of window dressing over what is an agreement that makes a number of senators, Democrats and Republicans, uncomfortable,” he said.
Charlton also questioned Blanche’s leadership of the Department of Justice, citing recent cases where the grand juries declined to return indictments. He said the attorney general must remain independent from the president and make decisions based on law rather than politics.
“You want the lead prosecutor, the attorney general, to be an individual who is fair and impartial and who can tell the president of the United States, ‘We’re not going to pursue your political enemies. We’re not going to pursue your political goals. We’re going to do what is right and what is just,'” he said.
The full Senate has not yet voted on Blanche’s nomination. Charlton said the debate is likely to continue to center on whether the Justice Department can remain independent under his leadership.
