{"id":21473,"date":"2026-07-30T00:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21473"},"modified":"2026-07-30T00:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:30:14","slug":"cornyn-cancels-meeting-with-blanche-ahead-of-key-committee-vote-on-ag-nomination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21473","title":{"rendered":"Cornyn cancels meeting with Blanche ahead of key committee vote on AG nomination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">Just one day before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Todd Blanche&#8217;s nomination for attorney general, his future as the nation&#8217;s top law enforcement official remains uncertain.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Blanche was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with a series of senators. But a pivotal meeting with holdout Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whose support on the committee is essential for Blanche to advance, was canceled at the last minute over lingering concerns over President Donald Trump&#8217;s settlement with the IRS and the administration&#8217;s so-called &#8220;Anti-Weaponization Fund.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Cornyn said he canceled the meeting because the Department of Justice has yet to provide him with satisfactory documentation to meet his demands that the fund be rescinded and that the scope of the IRS audit immunity agreement in the settlement be narrowed.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">As part of Trump&#8217;s settlement with the IRS, the DOJ issued an addendum, signed by Blanche in his role as acting attorney general, that would bar the government from continuing any existing audits of tax returns filed by Trump, his family and their companies &#8212; concerning Cornyn and some other Republicans such as Sen. Thom Tillis.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;To me, it&#8217;s pretty simple. They could state that in a modified release form, and that would be responsive to my request. But for some reason, I don&#8217;t know whether it&#8217;s the staff of the DOJ or who it is, but they simply &#8212; they know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,&#8221; Sen. Cornyn told reporters after the meeting with Blanche was canceled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;There&#8217;s no real need to have a meeting if they will just produce the documentation that we&#8217;ve requested, and that he testified to under oath during his hearing,&#8221; Cornyn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Blanche said during a July 15 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the controversial so-called &#8220;Anti-Weaponization Fund was &#8220;dead.&#8221; Cornyn had demanded that commitment be put in writing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur lIngG \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: Sen. John Cornyn speaks on May 26, 2026, in Austin, Texas. | Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 15, 2026.\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_4x3.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Sen. John Cornyn speaks during a primary runoff election night event after losing the Republican party&#8217;s nomination on May 26, 2026, in Austin, Texas. | Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be attorney general, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Ashley Landis\/AP Photo | Jonathan Ernst\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It doesn&#8217;t appear that the DOJ provided Cornyn with a draft of the revised settlement paperwork ahead of Wednesday&#8217;s planned meeting. But the agency did provide Cornyn with a draft order from the Office of the Attorney General rescinding the $1.8 billion so-called \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund&#8221; and an explanation about why it was being rescinded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">However, the revised order does not change anything related to the audit portion of the settlement. With time ticking down, the DOJ&#8217;s actions have yet to appease Cornyn&#8217;s demands.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I haven&#8217;t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I&#8217;ve requested,&#8221; Cornyn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It remains unclear if the Senate Judiciary Committee will move forward with Blanche&#8217;s nomination vote on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Cornyn said that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley needed to know by 4 p.m. Wednesday what Cornyn&#8217;s decision is in order to decide whether there will be a vote tomorrow or not.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">&#8220;Why don&#8217;t you call over to the Department of Justice and tell them they have 1 hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for?&#8221; Cornyn told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;We actually sent them a red line strikeout of what we need, and they just need to make a decision. And if they do, then we&#8217;ll proceed with the markup tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just one day before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Todd Blanche&#8217;s nomination for attorney general, his future as the nation&#8217;s top law enforcement official remains uncertain.\u00a0 Blanche was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with a series of senators. But a pivotal meeting with holdout Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whose&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8116bb3a-9321-4894-bc77-201040ac8a9c\/cornyn-blanche-ap-jt-260729_1785342735924_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}