Todd Blanche appears on track to become next US attorney general

US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Todd Blanche, appears on track to become the next US attorney general after two Republican senators dropped their opposition to his nomination.

Blanche’s Senate confirmation has been held up by concerns from senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis over a $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of politically motivated prosecution and a tax audit immunity deal with the Republican president.

Blanche issued a written order over the weekend scrapping the “anti-weaponisation fund” and said the audit immunity agreement with Trump would only apply “retroactively” to past tax years and not future filings.

“We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result, issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement,” Blanche said in a statement.

Cornyn and Tillis, both of whom are leaving the Senate in January, welcomed Blanche’s moves in a statement on Monday and said they “look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”

A vote in the committee, where Republicans hold a narrow 12-10 majority, is scheduled for Tuesday and the full Republican-controlled Senate is expected to weigh in on Blanche’s nomination later in the week.