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The Senate votes on Todd Blanche’s confirmation this week. Susan Collins is a no, Mitch McConnell is out, and two Republicans still haven’t said where they are.
On August 2, Blanche signed a one-sentence order rescinding the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that the Justice Department had agreed to create as part of settling Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. That order is what unstuck his nomination.
In the video, I read the order and the settlement side by side. Section VIII says the agreement can be modified only with the written agreement of the parties. Blanche testified under oath on July 15 that no such agreement exists, and that Trump’s counsel could still try to enforce the deal. Cornyn and Tillis called what they got a legally enforceable document. It carries one signature.
Order of the Acting Attorney General, August 2, 2026 — includes the DOJ statement and the full July 15 hearing transcript
Settlement Agreement, Trump v. IRS, No. 1:26-cv-20609-KMW (S.D. Fla.)
The five lawsuits named in the order: Floyd v. DOJ (E.D. Va.), Dunn v. Trump (D.D.C.), CREW v. DOJ (D.D.C.), Gordon v. Blanche (D.D.C.), Gill v. DOJ (S.D. Cal.).
Call your senators
Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121. Ask for your senator’s office.
It can be as simple as: “I’m a constituent in ___. I’m asking the senator to vote no on Todd Blanche’s confirmation.” (And feel free to add details!)
The first floor vote is expected Friday, and the Senate leaves for recess this weekend.
One more thing. This one took a long time. Pulling every document, reading the settlement and the order side by side, checking the vote count against four different outlets before I said a number out loud—that’s most of a day before I ever turn a camera on.
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