Cornyn and Tillis roll

For all to the talk about how mavericky some of the lame duck Republican senators have been, this is still a party fully owned by Donald Trump:

The two Republican senators who had threatened to block Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general said on Monday that they would support his nomination after the Justice Department committed in writing to abandoning elements of a deal it struck with President Trump to resolve his lawsuit against the I.R.S.

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said in a joint statement that they were “pleased” that Mr. Blanche issued a memo and a statement on Sunday night appearing to concede to demands they had made about the settlement.

Both men had vowed that they would not confirm Mr. Blanche unless he provided written assurances that the Justice Department had formally killed a planned $1.8 billion fund to pay those who claim they were unfairly persecuted by the government.

They had also insisted that Mr. Blanche narrow the scope of the sweeping immunity from I.R.S. scrutiny that was granted to Mr. Trump, his family and their businesses under the same agreement.

Mr. Blanche posted two documents on social media on Sunday night: a signed memo in which he said the Justice Department was formally rescinding an order that created the so-called “anti-weaponization fund” and an unsigned statement in which the agency clarified the terms of the I.R.S. protections.

Mr. Blanche’s announcement came just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote to advance his nomination on Tuesday. With all Democrats expected to oppose his confirmation, any one Republican on the panel could have blocked Mr. Blanche’s nomination from advancing.

Critics questioned whether the new memo and statement from Mr. Blanche were truly legally binding. And even in its new form, Mr. Blanche’s order for the I.R.S. to abandon any audits of Mr. Trump’s previous tax returns is an unprecedented and potentially illegal benefit to a sitting president, worth potentially tens of millions of dollars in lower taxes and avoided penalties.

But on Monday morning, Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Tillis, who are both on the Judiciary Committee, said in a joint statement that they would allow his nomination to move forward.

Let the memory live again:

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) issued a statement following the U.S. Senate vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Cassidy previously delivered a floor speech after voting to advance Kennedy’s nomination in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee last week. 

“We need to make America healthy again, and it is my expectation that Secretary Kennedy will get this done,” said Dr. Cassidy. “As chair of the HELP Committee, I look forward to working closely with Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration to improve the health of all Americans.” 

I don’t believe that Tillis and Cornyn have suddenly started to trust Blanche; they just don’t want to fight even after Trump has forced them from office.