Senate panel expected to advance Blanche's attorney general nomination after deal with GOP holdouts

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee is expected to vote Tuesday to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to lead the Justice Department after the former personal lawyer for President Donald Trump secured the support of Republican senators who threatened to block his confirmation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's vote follows a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had demanded written assurances about the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns.

Cornyn and Tillis had said they were withholding their support unless the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it was not moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the Trump administration had announced as part of the settlement.

After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

Since the settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS was announced, “No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid,” the order said.

Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.

Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.

Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it. The order also doesn’t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.

Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department’s pursuit of the president’s political foes and the agency’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

But it was the settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche's nomination, forcing a delay in the committee vote last week amid pressure from the two Republican senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill after their terms end in January.

Trump’s lawsuit has been sharply criticized because of the highly unusual way it was handled, with the president challenging an agency overseen by the executive branch he leads. A judge last month slammed the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing and referred one of Trump’s attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action.

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump’s defense team as the Republican battled four indictments, arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. He was elevated to acting attorney general following Attorney General Pam Bondi’s failure to meet Trump’s demands to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents.

While Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent post, he moved swiftly to accelerate investigations into Trump foes and advance other White House priorities, drawing condemnation from critics who say he has not shed his title as Trump’s personal lawyer.

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict longtime Trump adversary James Comey, the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

Comey’s lawyers have accused the Justice Department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution.

Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, an 81-year-old former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump.

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, left, and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FILE - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference on unaccompanied children at the Justice Department, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in as he appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia voters will pick their nominees Tuesday for this year’s congressional midterm elections, capping a primary season marked by upheaval thanks to Democrats’ failed redistricting initiative.

The commonwealth typically holds its primaries in June but this year moved them to August to accommodate a push approved by voters — but squashed by the courts — to draw congressional districts more favorable to Democrats, part of a nationwide redistricting battle.

The state Supreme Court struck down the Democrats’ redrawn map, which would have given their candidates a shot at winning 10 of the state’s 11 congressional seats, but not before candidates launched campaigns in those presumed districts. When it became clear in May that voters would be casting ballots in congressional districts that have been in place since 2021, many candidates ended their bids. Others scrambled to move their campaign to another district, while some opted to carry on in much less favorable races.

The upheaval created challenges for the candidates, who had to stay in the primary season longer than usual and in some cases take their messages to different communities, Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger recently told reporters. But Spanberger, a former member of Congress who represented swing districts, said she remained “bullish” on her party's chances in the general election and hopeful that as many as four seats could flip in Virginia.

“The biggest point of consternation that I have is I think that along the way, people … incorrectly took the message that we couldn’t win without redistricting. We can win. I believe we will win,” she said.

Virginia is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by six Democrats and five Republicans, all of whom are seeking reelection this year. Democrats who are less optimistic than Spanberger hope to flip at least two seats, contributing to their party’s effort to take control of the House for the second half of Trump’s term.

There are crowded Democratic primaries in two of the most competitive seats, where Republican incumbents Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman avoided intraparty challenges but will be on defense in the fall.

Elsewhere, two incumbents, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer and Republican Rep. John McGuire, face primary challenges but have far outraised their opponents.

Republicans also were picking their nominee for what will be an uphill challenge against U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.

Two of Virginia’s congressional districts are among Democrats' top targets for retaking control of the House. The coastal 2nd District, with its population center in Virginia Beach, is a must-win for the party. The slightly more Republican-leaning 1st District has about half its population in the Richmond suburbs and the other half in more rural counties stretching north and west.

In the 2nd District, former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria is seen as the favorite in the four-way Democratic primary field. It also includes physician Nila Devanath, who sought to define herself as the progressive voice in the race, along with scientist and veteran Bill Fleming, and Patrick Mosolf, a former international aid and humanitarian worker.

Luria, who is backed by the House Democrats’ campaign arm and has far outraised her opponents, is a retired Navy commander who was elected to the House in 2018 and served two terms before being ousted by Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot.

The 1st District features a crowded seven-way primary, but most observers see a front-runner in Shannon Taylor, who has served as the elected prosecutor in suburban Richmond’s Henrico County for 14 years.

Taylor also has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a massive fundraising advantage, though she’s faced sharp criticism from her opponents, including Salaam Bhatti, an attorney.

The race also includes several military veterans — Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs, Jason Knapp and Mel Tull — along with environmental advocate Tim Cywinski and attorney Ericka Kopp.

Only two of Virginia's 11 U.S. House incumbents face a primary challenge.

In central Virginia’s 5th District, Trump-endorsed McGuire, a former Navy SEAL and state lawmaker, faces veteran Melanie Lucero, whom McGuire has far outraised.

In Northern Virginia’s overwhelmingly blue 8th District surrounding Washington, incumbent Rep. Don Beyer faces four challengers for the nomination as he seeks a seventh term.

A former congressman seeking the chance at a comeback, Tom Perriello, is also among Tuesday’s primary contenders. Perriello has led fundraising in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination in the 5th District, which he represented for one term beginning in 2009.

Voters will also be settling a three-way statewide contest to pick the Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, a well-known former governor who was first elected to the Senate in 2008 and currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the chamber’s Intelligence Committee.

Defeating Warner would be an enormous challenge, and the race is not among those seen as a battleground that will determine control of the Senate.

The GOP contenders are: Kim Farington, an accountant who has touted her work over decades in the federal government; Bert Mizusawa, a decorated retired Army major general; and David Williams, a Marine Corps reservist.

Warner does not have a primary challenger.

Democratic congressional candidate Shannon Taylor speaks with supporter Bill Ramsey at a door-knocking event Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/Mike Kropf)