Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have announced that they will support acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, all but assuring victory for President Donald Trump in his bid to install his former personal attorney in the role permanently.

The Monday morning announcement from the senators came just hours after Blanche issued a document that appeared to terminate the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund. The document also clarifies the scope of an agreement the Justice Department brokered between Trump and the IRS not to audit the president, his family or his businesses. The DOJ said the agreement only applies retroactively and to the president, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization, as opposed to including “related or affiliated individuals” as the order originally stipulated. Those issues had been key sticking points for the senators.

But the legal enforceability of these commitments is ambiguous. It’s not clear whether the document can officially change the terms of the IRS deal because it is not a formal order signed by Blanche. And while Blanche did issue a signed order formally rescinding the fund, the settlement agreement that ordered the creation of the fund remains in effect, and all parties to the original lawsuit, including the president and the IRS, would need to sign off to void it. As long as the settlement agreement remains valid, the government could theoretically revive the fund.

In a statement released Monday morning, the lawmakers said they were “pleased” with the agreement, adding, “We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”

The news virtually guarantees Blanche’s confirmation to lead the DOJ on a permanent basis. The two senators were the key Republican holdouts on the Senate Judiciary Committee to advancing the nominee’s confirmation. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was forced to postpone a vote for Blanche’s nomination that was scheduled for last Thursday. That day, Blanche and Cornyn had a closed-door meeting to discuss what it would take for the Texas Republican to support the acting attorney general’s confirmation.

Trump has continued to vigorously defend the “anti-weaponization” fund — both in the court of law and the court of public opinion.

In the Oval Office on Monday afternoon, the president told MS NOW’s Jake Traylor, “These people were treated horribly, and this fund could have given them some solace,” referring to Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 rioter who was fatally shot by a police officer during the attack on the Capitol, and other insurrectionists.

Asked by Traylor if he signed off on Blanche’s rescinding of the fund, Trump said he “didn’t look at it” and that he was not aware of other avenues through which people could be paid.

“All I know is that Todd Blanche is great. He’s going to do a great job …,” Trump said, adding, “And I understand there’s been a sign-off, but I don’t know what they agreed. I think Todd Blanche agreed to reconfirm things that he’s already said, and what he said was okay.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Blanche’s nomination Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET, Grassley said in a post on X on Monday morning, adding that Blanche is the “right pick” for attorney general. Grassley also thanked Trump, Blanche, Cornyn and Tillis for working with him through the weekend “to get the votes to advance this well-qualified nominee.”

The timing of a final vote on the Senate floor is less clear as senators aim to leave town for their August recess later this week.

Jack Fitzpatrick contributed reporting.

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