Cornyn reaches deal with DOJ ahead of Todd Blanche nomination vote

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) reached a deal with the Justice Department that puts Todd Blanche back on track to be confirmed as President Donald Trump's attorney general before the August recess.

The agreement, announced by Cornyn in a Sunday night statement, rescinds the president's "anti-weaponization" fund in writing and restates testimony from Blanche's confirmation hearing, during which he told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that Trump's immunity from tax audits is limited in scope.

The two concessions were at the center of a May settlement by the Justice Department that sparked outrage on Capitol Hill. Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), both Judiciary Committee members, refused to vote to advance Blanche's nomination without written confirmation that the administration would abide by his testimony.

The deal clears the way for Blanche's nomination to be advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was forced to postpone a vote earlier in the week but put a new meeting on the calendar for Tuesday. Republicans feared the administration would use taxpayer money to pay out Jan. 6 defendants. Both are retiring at the end of the year.