The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed its scheduled Thursday vote on the nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general after Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) indicated that they would vote against advancing the nomination out of committee.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced the decision late Wednesday night after a wild day of back-and-forth between the committee and the two dissenting senators.
“Chairman Grassley works to set President Trump’s nominees up for success in committee, not failure. Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement. Tomorrow’s markup is postponed as work continues to secure sufficient support in committee to favorably report Attorney General-nominee Todd Blanche, who is highly qualified for the job,” a spokesman for Grassley’s office said in a statement.
Both Tillis and Cornyn have for weeks raised concerns related to a settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and Trump stemming from a lawsuit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service.
As part of the settlement, the Justice Department established a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund intended to compensate individuals who were subjected to politically-motivated prosecutions under the Biden Administration. This includes January 6 protesters, pro-life activists, and other conservative individuals who were targeted by the Biden DOJ.
Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general, previously stated that the fund would not move forward. Cornyn and Tillis have sought formal written documentation confirming that the fund cannot be revived and clarifying the scope of the tax-related provisions, including that any protections would be limited in application and duration.
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Earlier in the day Wednesday, Cornyn confirmed that he was still holding out on a vote to confirm while speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill.“I’m not prepared to vote yes. Let me put it that way,” Cornyn said when asked about supporting the nomination. He added that he had not received responsive written materials, saying, “I haven’t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested.”
Cornyn further noted that his office had provided specific proposed language to the DOJ. “We actually sent them a red-line strikeout of what we need, and they just need to make a decision. And if they do, then we’ll proceed with the markup tomorrow,” he said. “We’re trying to make it easy for them. They won’t take the help.”
When asked about the reason for the lack of resolution, Cornyn said, “Beats me. Maybe they think I’m just going to give up or, you know, go along, but they’re mistaken.” He added that the department had “simply refused to cooperate” and that “they better get real and there’s not much time left.”
Tillis expressed a similar position, indicating that an agreement was still needed and that the absence of one could affect the markup. He noted that the points under discussion aligned with statements Blanche had made under oath and described the remaining work as largely a matter of drafting.
Tillis also indicated that without a resolution he might not attend a meeting in order to avoid a failed vote by denying a quorum, though the scheduled vote was ultimately cancelled.
Republicans currently hold a two-seat majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning that just one dissenting Republican would block Blanche’s nomination from moving forward.
As of Wednesday evening, negotiations between the Justice Department and the senators remain ongoing, according to statements from both committee leadership and department officials. The Justice Department has indicated it has provided proposals and remains open to further discussion of outstanding concerns.
No new date for a committee vote has been announced as of this report.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
