Republicans say they will back Blanche after US Justice Department order

Two Republican senators say they will end their opposition after order cancelling controversial $1.8bn fund.Two United States Republican senators have said they will end their opposition to US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, after Blanche scrapped a controversial “anti-weaponisation fund” that bipartisan critics say would use taxpayer dollars to reward Trump’s political allies.Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said in a statement on Monday that they would vote to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full US Senate, after he issued an order rescinding the $1.8bn fund the night before.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump pledges to pursue ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund amid Blanche standofflist 2 of 3Trump’s attorney general pick faces possible Republican roadblocklist 3 of 3Republicans delay vote on Trump’s US attorney general pick amid concernsend of list“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 two senators said.Blanche’s path towards confirmation in the US Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority, had previously been held up due to concerns about the fund, created for allies of Trump who say they were the victims of government persecution. The possibility that supporters of Trump who took part in the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol could qualify for payments sparked bipartisan backlash.“These people were treated horribly. And this fund could have given them some solace,” Trump said in remarks to the press on Monday, adding that he viewed the fund as a “positive”.Cornyn and Tillis, whose votes Blanche needs to advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee, had previously said that they would not vote to confirm him without written confirmation that the fund will not be pursued.