Senators Stall Todd Blanche Until White House Writes Tax Immunity

Aspen —Wendy Schiller’s property taxes just got a reprieve. The White House agreed to shield Donald Trump and his family from future tax audits as part of a $1.8 billion settlement with the IRS.

That’s the deal that matters to locals watching their bottom lines. It’s also the deal that has stalled Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general.

Two Republican senators are holding up the vote. They want that promise in writing. They don’t trust a social media post.

President Trump said Friday the anti-weaponization fund is “dead.” He made that clear at Camp David. Then he defended it hours later.

The contradiction complicates everything. It confuses the voters in Texas and North Carolina who actually hold the power here.

Trump told reporters that administration officials “agreed not to have a fund.” That fund was supposed to compensate political allies prosecuted by the Justice Department. Many were involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

“People who had been prosecuted... are suffering still, many ruined,” Trump said in an early morning social media post. “I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.”

He called Blanche a “pawn in this whole thing.” He wants her confirmed immediately. The senators say no.

John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina won’t budge. Both sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee. They say Blanche’s nomination is dead in the water until they see a formal document.

Tillis called the fund “alive” immediately after Trump’s post.

“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” Tillis said.

Blanche established the fund on May 18. She rescinded it two months ago after a revolt by Republican senators over an immigration funding bill.

Cornyn and Tillis want to ensure the White House doesn’t reverse course again. Trump keeps arguing a fund is needed. The senators want proof it’s gone for good.

The Justice Department provided language stating Blanche’s order is “rescinded and shall have no force or effect.” The Associated Press reviewed the document.

Cornyn wants clarifications on a separate piece of the settlement: immunity from tax audits for Trump and his family.

Cornyn said this week that audits could extend to more than 100 different Trump organization subsidiaries into the future.

“Todd Blanche said it was limited to the parties to the litigation — and it was retrospective, not prospective,” Cornyn said. “And all we’re doing is asking them to put that in writing.”

Blanche’s nomination was postponed by the Judiciary Committee. The delay isn’t just bureaucratic. It’s political leverage.

Cornyn lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent. Tillis is retiring in January. They have nothing left to lose by holding the line.

The short version: Trump wants his fund dead. He says it’s alive. The senators want a signature on the death certificate.

Locals should watch the tax immunity clause. If it applies to 100 subsidiaries, that’s a lot of money staying in the Trump orbit. That’s not just history. That’s current cash flow.

Blanche is acting attorney general now. She can’t confirm herself. The Senate has to act.

Cornyn and Tillis are waiting for a document that matches Trump’s words. Until then, the fund hovers. Dead or alive. It depends on who you ask and when.

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed the vote. They will wait for clarity. Trump keeps talking. The senators keep listening. And the taxpayers keep wondering what’s actually being paid for.