The US Senate judiciary committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after he confirmed in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead. Ahead of the vote on Tuesday, every Democrat on the committee railed against Blanche’s nomination, saying he was unfit for the role and would do the president’s bidding. Despite saying he would vote for Blanche, Tillis lamented the politicization of the justice department under Blanche’s leadership. Both Cornyn and Tillis later confirmed they would vote to advance Blanche’s nomination. Because the underlying settlement still references the fund, a future attorney general – or Trump himself, with Congress’s help – could try to revive it.