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Todd Blanche’s nomination to become US Attorney General stalled on Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
The Senate Judiciary Committee had been expected to vote on Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination – brought forward by Trump shortly after Pam Bondi’s departure – to the full chambre.
But resistance from two Republican senators on the committee who could block Blanche’s nomination threw his confirmation into doubt.
A spokesperson for the committee said in a statement on Wednesday night that the vote would be postponed “as work continues to secure sufficient support.”
The delay came after hours of negotiations between the US Justice Department and Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, over the controversial settlement that afforded Trump and some of his family protection from tax audits.
At the centre of the fight is the resolution of Trump’s $10 billion (€8.7 billion) lawsuit against the IRS. It included a deal to drop tax claims against the president and a now-scrapped plan to create a $1.78 billion (€1.55 billion) “Anti-Weaponisation Fund” to compensate people who believe they were wronged by the Justice Department.
The department said in June that it was no longer moving forward with the “Anti-Weaponisation Fund” amid bipartisan outrage, but officials have said the audit immunity agreement remains in place.
Cornyn and Tillis have demanded additional assurances in writing that the “Anti-Weaponisation Fund” is dead and have pressed for clarification on the scope of the tax immunity deal.
Cornyn says he wants the administration to modify that piece of the settlement to make clear that it covers only existing audits and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.
Cornyn, who recently lost the Republican primary in Texas, accused the US Justice Department on Wednesday of “stonewalling” and said “the ball is in Blanche’s court.”
“We’re been trying to help them get to a conclusion here and they won’t let us. It’s befuddling to me,” Cornyn told reporters.
The Justice Department reportedly sent Cornyn and Tillis new language on Wednesday evening in an effort to satisfy their demands, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the AP.
Trump downplayed any concerns about Blanche’s path to confirmation, calling his attorney general pick and former personal attorney “outstanding.”
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump told reporters in response to questions about the senator’s requests.
Additional sources • AP