Republican senator corners Todd Blanche into admitting Trump could still sue DOJ

WASHINGTON, DC: Todd Blanche's attorney general confirmation hearing took an unexpected turn on Wednesday, July 15, when a Republican senator, not a Democrat, pressed him over one of the Trump administration's most controversial Justice Department agreements.

Sen John Cornyn (R-Texas) repeatedly questioned Blanche about the abandoned $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, ultimately securing an acknowledgment that although the fund is effectively dead, President Donald Trump could still attempt to sue the Justice Department over the settlement that created it.

The exchange highlighted lingering legal uncertainty surrounding an agreement that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny.

John Cornyn presses legal questions

Cornyn opened his questioning by noting that the settlement agreement establishing the proposed fund could only be modified through written consent by all parties.

He asked Blanche whether such a written modification existed.

"No," Blanche replied, while maintaining that the "weaponization fund is dead" and "not moving forward."

Cornyn then raised the central issue: if the agreement remains unchanged, could it still be legally enforceable?

Blanche acknowledged that it could.

"It's an enforceable document," he said.

Todd Blanche admits lawsuit remains possible

Cornyn then asked whether Trump or his legal team could attempt to enforce the settlement despite the administration abandoning the fund.

"I suppose if President Trump's counsel sought to enforce it, they potentially could," Blanche said.

Pressed further on whether that included the abandoned anti-weaponization fund, Blanche replied that Trump "could try to enforce the contract."

He quickly added that any lawsuit would not automatically revive the fund.

"They can't force the Department of Justice to move forward with the weaponization fund," Blanche said. "They could potentially say that we breached by not moving forward."

He added that no such lawsuit has been filed and that he was unaware of any plans to pursue one.

Fund remains officially abandoned

Throughout the hearing, Blanche repeatedly insisted the controversial $1.8 billion fund would never be implemented.

"The weaponization fund is dead," he told lawmakers. "It's not moving forward."

He explained that no Treasury money had ever been transferred, no governing commissioners had been appointed and no administrative structure had been established.

"There is no fund," Blanche said. "It never started."

Blanche also clarified that legal protections contained in the settlement would not shield Trump or his businesses from investigations by agencies outside the Internal Revenue Service, including the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Republican scrutiny shifts debate

The exchange stood out because the toughest questioning came from a Republican senator whose support could prove important during the confirmation process.

Before the hearing, Cornyn described the settlement as raising "novel legal questions" involving conflicts of interest and contract enforcement.

He also called the proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund "inappropriate," suggesting its cancellation may not fully resolve the legal issues surrounding the agreement.

Although Blanche emphasized the fund will never materialize, his testimony confirmed that the underlying settlement remains legally binding, leaving open the possibility of future litigation even as the political controversy surrounding the agreement continues.