Texas Senator John Cornyn is out here doing something truly revolutionary in Washington: demanding that the paperwork actually match what people say under oath. Wild concept, right?
As Trending Politics reported, the outgoing Republican senator has refused to commit his vote for Todd Blanche, President Trump's nominee for permanent attorney general, over what boils down to a very expensive he said, the documents said situation.
Here is the backstory. Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS because someone leaked his tax records. That got settled with an agreement that included immunity from IRS audits on past returns for Trump, some family members, and related businesses. Oh, and it also referenced creating something called an anti-weaponization fund worth roughly $1.776 billion to $1.8 billion. That fund was supposed to compensate people who the administration says were targeted by Biden's DOJ, including January 6 protesters, pro-life activists, and other conservative figures caught up in what they call politically motivated prosecutions.
Now Blanche, who used to be Trump's personal lawyer and has been serving as acting attorney general since April, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15 that this fund is completely dead. Not happening. Over. Finished. Kaput.
But here is where it gets spicy. Cornyn, apparently the only person in Congress who has ever read a contract, started asking some pointed questions. He noted that page four of the settlement says it can only be changed with written consent from both parties. Has there been any written modification? Nope. Is the settlement enforceable as a contract? You bet it is.
So Cornyn told CNN that Blanche essentially confirmed the fund is very much not dead, because saying something is dead while the legally binding document says it is alive is just wishful thinking with extra steps.
Cornyn posted on social media that there is no deal regarding the nomination, writing that the administration knows what needs to happen. He wants the actual settlement documents changed to reflect what Blanche testified to, including that the fund is gone, that audit immunity does not extend beyond the lawsuit's parties, and that it was not meant to shield anyone from actions by agencies other than the IRS.
When reporters asked if Blanche should count on his vote, Cornyn gave the political equivalent of a firm no. He said that is correct, the nominee should not expect support until those documents get fixed.
This creates a real math problem for the White House. Every Democrat on the committee is expected to oppose Blanche, meaning the nomination likely needs both Cornyn and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina to advance. Tillis has also raised concerns about the settlement.
The committee is expected to vote by the end of the month, so the clock is ticking for the administration to figure out whether verbal promises or legally binding contracts carry more weight. Spoiler alert: any first year law student could answer that one.
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