Trump & Blanche's Desperate Attempt to Cheat Nomination

Summary

Legal AF – “Trump & Blanche’s Desperate Attempt to Cheat Nomination”

Date: August 4, 2026
Host: Michael Popok (with MeidasTouch Network)
Theme: The episode dives deep into the breaking controversy surrounding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, his nomination, and the explosive “super pardon” granted to Donald Trump and his associates through a suspect IRS settlement.

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Episode Overview

This episode centers around Todd Blanche’s recent maneuvering to secure the Attorney General nomination, specifically focusing on his rescinding of a controversial January 6 fund and, more notably, the remaining legal and ethical scandal tied to a sweeping retroactive tax and criminal liability “super pardon” granted to Donald Trump and his family. Michael Popok scrutinizes Blanche’s actions, the Senate’s response, and the broader implications for American democracy and the rule of law.

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Key Discussion Points & Analysis

1. Blanche’s Race for Confirmation and the Schemes Involved

• Context: Todd Blanche, acting Attorney General, is seeking Senate confirmation. To gain votes, he formally rescinded the controversial “Jan6 fund” (an anti-weaponization fund) but left intact a May 19th order that grants Trump and his family broad retroactive immunity on tax and possibly criminal matters.
• Senate Support: Blanche secured the crucial votes of Senators Cornyn (TX) and Tillis (NC), claiming he has addressed ethics concerns ([00:00]).
• Popok’s Main Argument: The rescinding of the Jan6 fund is a diversion; the real scandal is the May 19 super pardon, which remains unrescinded and untouched.

2. The Illegitimate IRS Settlement and “Super Pardon”

• Settlement Details: On May 19, Blanche unilaterally amended a supposed settlement agreement, granting Trump, his family, and over 400 affiliates immunity from tax and criminal liability going back decades. This “super pardon” equates to over a billion dollars of relief ([00:40], [07:35]).
• Judicial Rebuke: Judge Williams in Miami ruled the underlying case was an “illicit bad faith settlement of an illegitimate lawsuit,” undermining the legitimacy of any resulting agreement ([01:14]).
• Popok’s Critique:

  “How can you settle a case and have a super pardon for Donald Trump when the underlying case was illegitimate?” – Michael Popok ([01:16])

  • Blanche’s focus on the Jan6 fund is a smokescreen to distract from the May 19 release.

3. Political and Legal Fallout

• Ethics & Impeachable Offenses:

  “This here alone is another impeachable offense, both for Donald Trump and for Todd Blanche.” – Michael Popok ([03:40])

  • Popok argues that exchanging a billion-dollar tax and criminal relief for a cabinet nomination is impeachable for both Blanche and Trump.
• Treasury Department Warning Sign: The general counsel for the Treasury immediately resigned after the May 19 “super pardon” move, signaling extreme professional opposition ([04:36]).

4. Blanche’s Own Defenses (and Popok’s Dissection)

• Blanche’s “explanation” claims the May 19 order is only “retroactive”—i.e., only covers past liability up to the signing date.
• Popok notes this still wipes away potential criminal tax fraud and massive outstanding tax liabilities for Trump and his family ([07:35]).

5. Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony Excerpt

• Senator Cornyn Grills Blanche:

  Cornyn: “Does this purport to release parties or people who were not parties to the lawsuit?” ([09:42])
  Blanche: “No, Senator.”

  • But Cornyn quotes the release text, suggesting the scope is much broader, encompassing family and affiliates ([10:09]).
  • Blanche again minimizes and obfuscates, denying the broad impact ([10:32]).

6. Public Response and Call to Action

• Popok urges listeners to “flood the zone” with calls to senators, suggesting the public can still influence confirmation votes ([04:20]).
• He frames the process as a deliberate bait-and-switch:

  “Keep your eye on the shiny object of May 18th... and disregard the May 19 creation of a super pardon release that’s worth hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars to Trump and the Trump organization and its 400 related parts.” ([11:00])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Nature of the “Super Pardon”:

  “He gave his boss in return for getting the nomination over a billion dollars worth of tax relief. And he’s not rescinding that.” – Michael Popok ([00:23])

• Corruption Allegation:

  “The fact that he would, in order to get the job offer, to give $1 billion or more of tax relief and criminal immunity to Donald Trump and his family in return to get the nomination. That’s impeachable on both sides of the aisle.” – Michael Popok ([03:40])

• Judicial Rebuke Reminder:

  “Settlement declared invalid by Judge Williams in Miami...” ([01:20])

• Popok’s Final Take:

  “We see how the girl is being cut in half and the American people are being abused.” ([11:10])

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Important Timestamps

• [00:00–05:54] — Breakdown of Blanche rescinding Jan6 fund, details of May 19 “super pardon”, and Senate reaction.
• [07:35–09:42] — Popok analyzes Blanche’s public defense about the “retroactive” super release, its implications, and connection to IRS disputes.
• [09:42–10:46] — Senator Cornyn interrogates Blanche in Judiciary Committee about the release’s scope.
• [11:00–12:04] — Popok summarizes the bait-and-switch, encourages public action, and previews continued coverage.

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Summary & Closing Thoughts

This episode of Legal AF exposes, with sharp legal and political analysis, how the rescinding of the controversial Jan6 fund is overshadowed by an equally, if not more, scandalous act—a secretive, sweeping “super pardon” for Trump and his associates. Michael Popok methodically lays out the timeline, legal context, and stakes, characterizing Blanche’s action as not only ethically bankrupt but potentially impeachable. Listeners are left not only informed but galvanized, with a call to action to press their senators to reject Blanche’s nomination.

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For full court filings, oral arguments, and updates, subscribe to the Legal AF Substack and YouTube channel.

Transcript

[Michael Popak]

We got some breaking news here on Midas Touch and Legal a f around the nomination of the acting attorney general, Todd Blanch to be attorney general. He's now announced that he's obtained the votes of Senators Cornyn of Texas and Tillis of North Carolina because he has, quote, unquote rescinded the Jan6 fund. But the focus should not be on the May 18 Jan6 fund. It should be on the May 19 release that he gave unilaterally pursuant to a phony settlement agreement giving a pardon or immunity to the Trump family retroactively for all tax liability dating back decades, meaning he gave his boss in return for getting the nomination over a billion dollars worth of tax relief. And he's not rescinding that. He's rescinding the January 6th fund of May 18th, but not the unilateral half page settlement that he signed to give his boss that relief, the pardon that even the Supreme Court didn't give Donald Trump. He's issued on his social media account two pieces of paper, One, formally renouncing the fund and two, telling everybody else to go pound sand. He's not going to be renouncing the amended settlement agreement. But that doesn't change what's going on down in Judge Williams courtroom in Miami because she already said that the settlement agreement was the byproduct of an illicit bad faith settlement of an illegitimate lawsuit. So then the question is begged. How can you settle a case and have a super pardon for Donald Trump when the underlying case was illegitimate? I'm Michael Popak. Let's get down to the brand new reporting we all woke up to this morning. Todd Blanche making the announcement and we'll put it up on the screen. Here's what he has said in his X account. Two pieces of paper, he says before he posts it. My team and I have met with committee members and senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions. One was about the Epstein scandal, Todd Blanche's treatment of it and the victims. And the second was about the Jan6 fund and the settlement amendment which allowed for the super pardon or release to Trump and his family, which remains standing. We have enjoyed good faith discussions and as a result, the following order and update. With regard to the May IRS settlement, again, a settlement declared invalid by Judge Williams in Miami, the department and here's what it says in the first piece of paper which we'll post up on the screen. August 2, 2026 A the Attorney General's May 18, 2026 order establishing the anti weaponization fund is rescinded and have and shall have no force or effect. Notice how he focuses only on the May 18th order, not his May 19th amendment to that order establishing the super immunity for Donald Trump, Trump's family, all the Trump affiliates, which total more than 400 about tax and potentially criminal liability. And B, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this order is intended to contradict or otherwise be contrary to prior representations by the Department of Justice that the fund is not operative. No members were appointed, no funds were transferred, no process for receiving claims was established, no claims were paid. And then he talks about what he considers to be frivolous lawsuits, including the one before Judge Brinkama in the Eastern District of Virginia and the one in front of Judge Williams. I don't think either judge will appreciate those cases being called frivolous. They certainly haven't found that now the litigation over this does. Then that proclamation does not answer the fundamental question how could you have settled a case at all if the underlying lawsuit was in bad faith and illegitimate as declared by Judge Williams in Miami? You notice he completely ignores that and completely ignores in this post posting any reference to his May 19th 1 paragraph unilateral amendment giving that super pardon. On that, there's another piece of paper which is this sort of a press release. Department of justice rescinds the anti weaponization order and addresses the May 19th release. So he's not rescinding the May 19th release, he's just explaining it. But the explanation doesn't do any better. This here alone is another impeachable offense, both for Donald Trump and for Todd Blanche. The fact that he would, in order to get the job offer, to give $1 billion or more of tax relief and criminal immunity to Donald Trump and his family in return to get the nomination. That's impeachable on both sides of the aisle. On both sides of the equation. Trump and Blanche. Right. And the fact that he's now doubling down on it and and has the apparently the vote support from Corn and Ortillis. Now is the time to flood the zone with phone calls to your senator to tell him this isn't good enough. They were always hiding the ball and that's why they did it in two parts. May 18 they do the settlement Jan6 fund. Oh, let's give $1.776 billion to people who attack the Capitol and Capitol Police. Trump never cared about that. He always cared about the thing that happened the next day. That's the tore his administration apart as soon as that next day, May 19 event happened. The first thing that happened is the general counsel for the Treasury Department resigned. He'd want to be involved with this.

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[Michael Popak]

Here's what Blanche writes in his about the May 19 release, or what we call the super pardon. Further, the May 19, 2026 order regarding a mutual release of claims applies by its terms only retroactively, meaning oh well, it's not so bad because it's only from the date I entered into the amendment to the settlement agreement. That's invalid backwards, but there are Right now, just as an example, there is $100 million dispute between Donald Trump, his family and the IRS over past tax liabilities that he didn't pay when he tried to take a $75 million deduction to wipe out all of his tax payments for a three years four year period when he was on the Celebrity Apprentice until this year. That was his most lucrative year. He's now made hundreds of billions of dollars while he's in the White House. But so retroactive doesn't help us giving them what if they committed criminal tax fraud? Oh no, that's gone. What if they owe because of audits that have been ongoing for the last 14 years. Hundreds of millions of dollars or billions of dollars in tax exposure for 400 entities under the Donald Trump revocable trust or his family. Oh, no, that's gone, too. Oh, really? So let's continue. The May 19th order applies retroactively. Additionally, the terms lawfare and or weaponization were already defined in the settlement agreement as the use of government power to target individuals, groups and entities for improper and unlawful political, personal, or other ideological reasons. They'll characterize everything the future administration does against Donald Trump and his family to fall into that category. It's so broad. The acting attorney general stands by all of his July 15 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, including answers to questions by Senator Cornyn related to the scope and the applicability of the May 19th order. Let me play a clip of that particular testimony so that you know what we're talking about. Play the clip.

[Senator Cornyn]

I want to ask you about the release. And I know I'm guilty of what a lot of lawyers are guilty of and having a chart you can't read, but I know you're familiar with this document, which is the release that you signed on May 19, 2026. First of all, does this purport to release parties or people who were not parties to the lawsuit?

[Todd Blanche]

No, Senator.

[Senator Cornyn]

Well, it says here that claims asserted by defendants or any of the plaintiffs or related or affiliated individuals, including without limitation, family or others filing jointly or parties, including trust, parent, sister or related companies, affiliates or subsidiaries. They weren't a party to the lawsuit, were they?

[Todd Blanche]

I didn't hear everything you just said, Senator, but the only parties that were that had any release as respect to any potential audits, even if they existed, were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

[Michael Popak]

We're going to have a live Stream on Legal AF YouTube of tomorrow's Blanche confirmation vote. But you see, the fix is in. Cornyn and Tillis have to be lobbied by the public and by the other senators. And there's going to have to be statements made on the floor of the of that Judiciary Committee vote about this switcheroo, this bait and switch with the American public. They always set it up as a bait and switch. Keep your eye on the shiny object of May 18th. Put all your direction on the May 18th Jan.6 fund and the size of it. Who's it going to? And Donald Trump won't take any money from it and disregard the May 19 creation of a super pardon release that's worth hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to Trump and the Trump organization and its 400 related parts. That's that has been the attempted magic trick. But we see the wires, we see that the how. We see how the girl is being cut in half and the American people are being abused. We'll continue to follow it all right here. Don't miss any trick. We're following it all here on Legal AF YouTube. Take a minute, hit the Free subscribe button there. And on our Legal AF substack, where I'll be doing live reports and reporting on this throughout the day and the week until my next report. I'm Michael Popak.

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