AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a major hurdle in his push to permanently lead the Department of Justice after he reached a deal with two Republican senators who had said they would block his nomination.

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said they will now officially back Blanche after he put into writing that the DOJ is scrapping a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, one that could have provided settlements to the president's political allies, including January 6 rioters.

For more on the agreement, I'm joined now by our justice correspondent, Ali Rogin.

So, Ali, how did they reach this deal and what exactly is in it?

ALI ROGIN: This deal came about after several weeks of talks between Senator Cornyn and the White House.

The White House had a lot of resistance.

President Trump had openly contemplated withdrawing Blanche's nomination and simply waiting out Senators Cornyn and Tillis because they lost their primaries a few weeks ago and will be leaving the Senate.

But late last night, there was some agreement.

Blanche released a new written order rescinding the so-called anti-weaponization fund.

The order is a half-a-page-long and declares that the fund is -- quote -- "rescinded and shall have no force or effect."

And it says it establishes -- quote - - "beyond any doubt that there is no fund."

Today, Tillis and Cornyn said that Blanche has addressed their concerns and they are ready to support his nomination.

AMNA NAWAZ: And just remind us, why was the fund such a sticking point in the first place for Senators Cornyn and Tillis?

ALI ROGIN: Well, this fund was a settlement as part of a lawsuit that President Trump filed against the IRS for leaked tax returns.

It got near immediate bipartisan criticism for concerns that it could lead to big payouts for January 6 rioters.

There were also court challenges and a federal judge blocked the fund from going into effect.

And around the time of that court decision, Blanche started saying that the fund was dead, but he wouldn't put that in writing.

And that's what Senators Tillis and Cornyn were asking for, written assurance that the fund would not go forward.

There was, Amna, another part of the IRS settlement that these senators both objected to, and that was a declaration of immunity from tax-related prosecution for President Trump, his family members, and unnamed affiliates.

And Cornyn had an issue with the scope of that being so broad.

Blanche also seemed to walk back that immunity in his latest order, clarifying that it only pertains to President Trump and his family members.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, just to be clear, is there anything in this new written deal that would stop January 6 defendants from receiving payouts of some kind, or that would prevent the president from reviving the fund?

ALI ROGIN: There is nothing in this language that would prevent either of those things from happening.

Even though the document says that there is no more fund, Trump allies could still claim weaponized prosecutions and seek compensation from other government accounts.

And as of last night, President Trump was defending this fund and talking about it as a very real possibility, as he did last night on Air Force One.

Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: These people were attacked.

And this would be a reimbursement, going to pay them.

A lot of people like it.

If they don't approve Todd, I will put it back on the table.

A lot of people like it.

A lot of big supporters of Trump like it.

ALI ROGIN: But, of course, Amna, Trump often sends mixed messages.

And, today, a reporter asked him if there were other avenues that people could pursue to receive payouts like this.

And he said there were no other avenues that he knew of.

AMNA NAWAZ: So what about Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee?

What are they saying about all this?

ALI ROGIN: Democrats are calling this deal meaningless.

Senator Adam Schiff said on a social media post that it -- quote -- "doesn't prevent payouts to violent insurrectionists in the future.

It doesn't prevent the administration from bringing the slush fund back from the dead next week or using an existing DOJ settlement fund for the same purpose."

And Schiff notes it leaves in place Trump's tax immunity deal.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, when it comes to tomorrow's vote, is that now a lock for Todd Blanche?

ALI ROGIN: It seems so.

The math is there for him to proceed out of committee.

In terms of the full Senate confirmation, it seems like he also has the votes there too.

That vote is set to -- expected to happen on Saturday.

Blanche can afford to lose two Republicans.

It's a slightly smaller margin than has been the case because Senator Mitch McConnell is still out.

But the fact that Tillis and Cornyn have gotten on board is a pretty good barometer for other moderate Senate Republicans like Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.

And, Amna, it seems like Todd Blanche is headed towards becoming the next permanent attorney general.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that's our justice correspondent, Ali Rogin, beginning our coverage.

Ali, thank you.

ALI ROGIN: You bet.