Todd Blanche’s confirmation vote to become attorney general was delayed Wednesday as two Republican senators demanded written assurances from the Justice Department about revisions to a controversial Trump-IRS settlement agreement.
The Senate Judiciary Committee canceled its scheduled Thursday morning vote after Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said they had not received the written proposals they were seeking. Both Republicans, neither facing reelection in November, hold decisive power: a single “no” vote from either could block Blanche’s advancement out of committee.
The dispute centers on a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund established under a settlement between Trump and the executive branch over a lawsuit Trump filed regarding the illegal disclosure of his tax records by an IRS contractor. Cornyn and Tillis want the fund formally and permanently disbanded in writing, and they seek clarification on who is protected from IRS audits under a separate provision of the settlement that shields Trump, his family members, and his companies from future audits.
At his confirmation hearing on July 15, Blanche insisted the fund was “not moving forward. Period.” However, Cornyn told reporters Wednesday that the Justice Department had failed to provide any written documentation backing that claim. “I haven’t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested,” Cornyn said, adding that he had been making the request for months.
Tillis was equally firm, saying he wanted to “stick a fork in this turkey of a” $1.776 billion fund and warning that if a vote were held without a deal, he would not attend the meeting to avoid giving it a quorum. “I’d say it’s a coin toss,” he said of whether the vote would occur as scheduled.
The Justice Department transmitted new language to both senators Wednesday evening, and negotiations continued late into the night. A senior administration official characterized the talks as stalled, accusing Cornyn of “continually moving the goal posts” and refusing to cooperate. Cornyn’s office disputed that characterization, with the senator telling reporters that Trump’s claim he was holding up the vote out of personal grievance over a primary loss was “a convenient excuse for not cooperating with the Judiciary Committee’s appropriate role in judicial confirmations.”
A federal judge in Virginia has already indefinitely blocked the anti-weaponization fund after a former Jan. 6 prosecutor sued, and another federal judge in Florida found that Trump’s IRS lawsuit was brought in “bad faith” for an “improper purpose,” ordering sanctions against several people involved, including Blanche. Despite those rulings, the settlement agreement’s provisions protecting Trump from IRS audits remain in effect, which is why Cornyn and Tillis are pressing for written modifications to clarify and narrow their scope.
Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney, was previously confirmed as deputy attorney general and took over as acting attorney general after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. He told NBC News in April that Americans should be “happy” that Trump was so involved in Justice Department matters, and he later told senators at his confirmation hearing that he was not a “yes man” for Trump.
Sources
- NBC News — details on the postponed vote, Cornyn and Tillis’s demands for written assurances, the anti-weaponization fund dispute, and the federal judges’ prior rulings
- The Hill — the Committee’s cancellation statement, Cornyn and Tillis’s specific demands, the settlement terms, and Blanche’s prior statements
- PBS NewsHour — Cornyn’s testimony during the July 15 confirmation hearing and settlement agreement language
- Houston Public Media — Cornyn’s position on modifying the settlement to limit audit immunity scope
- Fox News — confirmation that the DOJ failed to provide written proposals to modify the IRS settlement
