RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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President Trump delivered an ultimatum to Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn on Saturday, telling them to stop stalling on confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general or he would push again to make his anti-weaponization fund a reality.Tillis and Cornyn have refused to vote for Blanche as the full-time attorney general unless it is put in writing that Mr. Trump will no longer pursue the anti-weaponization fund, a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were politically persecuted, which was announced in May as part of a settlement to resolve Mr. Trump\u0027s lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department.On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump not only said the anti-weaponization fund was off the table, but he would keep Blanche in the acting AG role and push to pass the fund if the two senators who oppose it don\u0027t vote for Blanche."If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn\u0027t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren\u0027t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED," the president wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social.\u00a0He added, "Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done."At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Blanche\u00a0reiterated\u00a0the fund was "dead." Cornyn noted the settlement states any changes to it must be agreed upon in writing by all parties involved.\u00a0"Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?" he asked."No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward," Blanche responded. "There\u0027s no modification. It never started. No money went from the Treasury to any other account."\u00a0After delaying a vote last week on Blanche\u0027s nomination due to Cornyn and Tillis, the Senate Judiciary Committee said Saturday it would now be voting this Tuesday at 9 a.m."Chairman Grassley wants Todd Blanche\u0027s nomination to be successful," the committee said in a statement announcing the vote. "Noticing the markup gives more time for the White House to secure the votes for the President\u0027s nominee. Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe."\u00a0The Senate will go on its summer recess at the end of next week. It will not return until mid-September.
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