The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved Todd Blanche's nomination to be the next attorney general after getting assurances that the controversial "anti-weaponization" fund is dead.
The panel passed the nomination after a 12-10 vote, sending it to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. All Democrats opposed the nomination while all Republicans supported it.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that Blanche's assurances that the fund can't be revived are "a sham and a fraud on the Congress."
Despite the approval, it is unclear whether Blanche will get the 50 votes necessary to be confirmed. CNBC detailed that several Republican senators have not confirmed their support, including Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins.
He can only afford to lose two votes, considering that the GOP has a 53-47 majority but Sen. Mitch McConnell is on extended medical absence.
The Department of Justice's "Anti-Weaponization Fund," which sought to pay people who claimed to be targeted by the government, has been blocked by a judge since June. Back then, Judge Leonie Brinkema also sought assurances from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that they won't seek to move forward with it.
The fund in question, announced by the Justice Department in May, was set to the power to issue formal apologies and provide monetary relief to approved claimants. The DOJ said there were "no partisan requirements" to apply and that any unspent money would have returned to the federal government when the fund stops processing claims by Dec. 1, 2028.
However, the first wave of public interest came from Trump supporters, Jan. 6 defendants and longtime allies who say prosecutions, investigations or public scrutiny damaged their lives and finances.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called the arrangement a "slush fund" for Trump loyalists.
Some Republicans criticized the fund too. Sen. Thom Tillis called it a "payout pot for punks."
"These people don't deserve restitution; they- many of them deserve to be in prison," Tillis said following reports that January 6 defendants and Trump allies were already lining up to seek compensation from the fund.
Blanche's nomination was being blocked by some Republicans as a result of the matter. He assured that the initiative won't continue, leading them to provide their support.
