Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued two written documents on Sunday night that revised aspects of a previously announced settlement involving former President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The documents formally rescinded a $1.8 billion fund designed to address alleged IRS "weaponization" and narrowed the scope of tax audit protections extended to Trump and his associates. These moves helped resolve concerns raised by Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, clearing the way for their support of Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general.

The original deal had established a fund to provide taxpayer money to groups aligned with the former president, along with broad protections shielding Trump, his family members, and related parties from IRS audits. Tillis and Cornyn had expressed reservations about the arrangement, refusing to back Blanche’s nomination until these issues were addressed in writing. The senators sought explicit commitments that the fund would be eliminated and that the audit protections would be more narrowly defined to prevent overly broad immunity.

In the documents released by Blanche, the order that created the $1.8 billion fund was formally rescinded and declared devoid of legal effect. Meanwhile, an audit protection provision was modified to cover only President Trump, two of his sons, and his business interests, applying solely on a retroactive basis. Tillis and Cornyn issued a joint statement indicating that these clarifications alleviated their concerns and ended an intraparty impasse that had delayed Blanche’s confirmation process.

However, critics have questioned the legal enforceability of these written assurances, describing them as political compromises rather than binding legal commitments. Matthew Platkin, a former New Jersey attorney general now in private practice who represents clients challenging the fund, characterized the documents as an attempt to secure Blanche’s confirmation without relinquishing the Justice Department’s ability to enforce the original settlement terms if it so chooses.

The Justice Department did not comment on the issuance of the new documents or on the status of the fund and audit provisions beyond the text of the orders themselves. Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer, had reportedly resisted committing to such written guarantees amid the confirmation process. The developments appeared to mark a significant step toward resolving internal Republican opposition and advancing Blanche’s appointment as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.