Trump, Cornyn Standoff
Trump backs Todd Blanche while John Cornyn blocks his attorney general nomination.
Summary
President Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the disputed anti-weaponization fund, even as Trump said it was “dead” while defending compensation for people he says were targeted by the government. The IRS settlement fund, estimated at $1.776 billion to $1.8 billion, is blocking acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination as Republican Sens. John Cornyn, Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy demand written nullification. Cornyn’s Judiciary Committee vote is pivotal; Trump says Cornyn is retaliating for Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton.
The Coverage
Trump’s fund pushLeans Left
Trump is personally driving the effort to defend or preserve the anti-weaponization fund. That push has become the real source of the Blanche confirmation fight and could undermine or derail the nomination.
Fund not deadLeft & Center
Blanche’s assurance that the fund is dead is not enough. The administration may still be able to deliver similar payouts, so Blanche needs to formally and clearly kill the scheme.
Get tomorrow's edition
Every side of today's biggest stories, free in your inbox each morning.


