Following Todd Blanche’s written Sunday night commitment abandoning key elements of the IRS settlement negotiated on Trump’s behalf, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have announced they will vote for his confirmation as Attorney General. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the vote. Blanche will almost certainly be confirmed. The specific precedent set: a Republican president’s nominee walked back a personal benefit for that president — in writing — to secure two Senate votes within his own party. That sequence is now part of the permanent institutional record.

WHY THIS MATTERS EVEN AFTER CONFIRMATION

Once Blanche is confirmed, he will be the Senate-confirmed Attorney General — with the legitimacy that entails — but operating under the written commitment he made to abandon the IRS settlement provisions. The IRS enforcement question is not resolved by his confirmation; it is resolved by how the DOJ implements its written commitment. Democrats will watch for any deviation from that commitment. Cornyn and Tillis used their leverage successfully — but they used it for a narrow, specific purpose. The broader question of whether the AG can function independently from the president who was also his former client remains structurally unresolved.

CONFIDENCE: HIGH

Cornyn and Tillis vote announcement is documented. Blanche’s written commitment is documented from Sunday night reporting. Senate Judiciary Committee vote scheduling is from Senate records.

SOURCES

▸  Senate Judiciary Committee — Blanche confirmation vote schedule

▸  Cornyn and Tillis — public vote announcements after written commitment

▸  Todd Blanche — Sunday night written commitment (ONYX August 5 coverage)