‘They Got Played Big Time!’ MS NOW Legal Analyst Says Cornyn, Tillis Were Fooled by Blanche Memos

Sean JamesAug 4th, 2026, 12:52 pm
 

MS NOW legal analyst Paul Butler said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) “got played” by Todd Blanche if they believed two memos he sent out, saying President Donald Trump’s anti-weaponization fund was “rescinded” and another which outlined the scope of tax audit protections for the president and his family.

Those memos spurred the two lawmakers to stop blocking Blanche’s confirmation, with both voting on Tuesday to advance him.

Shortly after the vote, Butler said both lawmakers had been duped by Blanche.

“Do you believe that the memos put forth by Todd Blanche are binding and that they would hold up in the court of law?” MS NOW anchor Vaughn Hillyard asked.

“They are absolutely not binding,” Butler said. “They almost certainly would not hold up in a court of law.”

Butler explained further:

Here’s why: in the terms of the original agreement, the only people who can modify it would it are the parties, including Donald Trump, and they have to do that in writing. Yesterday in the Oval Office, President Trump said he hadn’t seen the agreement, much less signed off on it. He said he trusts Todd Blanche.

So if the goal of Senators Cornyn and Tillis was to prevent Trump from reaping this sweetheart deal which could be worth as much as $100 million in tax relief, if their goal was to stop this weaponization fund, which [said] every one of the January 6 rioters gets an equal amount and they only get paid from this, they each get over $1 million. If their goal was to stop this, they got played big time.

As Mediaite’s David Gilmour wrote about Blanche’s confirmation saga earlier on Tuesday:

Blanche’s nomination had stalled after Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) withheld support over concerns surrounding an “anti-weaponization” fund proposed by the Trump administration. The program, unveiled in May, would have provided taxpayer-funded payments to some of the January 6th defendants whom Trump pardoned after returning to office.

The impasse prompted fireworks over the weekend between Trump and Tillis, who lashed out at each other via social media.

Trump insisted in a Truth Social post Saturday he would get the fund “PASSED,” slamming both senators, while Tillis punched back on X, calling the fund a “payout pot for punks.”

The conflict ended after Blanche said he had reached an agreement Sunday to amend the settlement underpinning the fund. Cornyn and Tillis later indicated the changes addressed their concerns, clearing the way for Republican support and ultimately for Blanche’s advancement to confirmation vote.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to advance Blanche.

Watch above via MS NOW.

Jason Cohen contributed to this story.

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