Todd Blanche's attorney general appointment on the rocks as Senate delays vote
Washington DC - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing an uphill battle to officially secure the full-fledged position after the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed the vote on Wednesday.
The committee would have voted on Blanche's nomination on Thursday but were forced to hold off after it became clear he didn't have the votes to advance.
Largely, this was because of two Republican holdouts in Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who demanded written assurances from the Department of Justice that President Donald Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund is dead in the water.
"Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the [DOJ] regarding the Trump-IRS settlement," a committee spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
"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."
In addition to assurances regarding Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund, which was frozen in June amid widespread backlash, Cornyn also wants a guarantee that Trump and his family will not be given immunity from tax audits in the future.
"Maybe they think I'm just going to give up or, you know, go along, but they're mistaken," Cornyn said on Wednesday.
"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."
For Blanche to be successful in his nomination for Attorney General, he needs the support of all Republicans on the committee.
Both GOP holdouts have an axe to grind with the current administration. Cornyn was lost the primary to retain his seat to Trump-endorsed candidate Ken Paxton, and Tillis has been a consistent critic of MAGA.
Cover photo: AFP/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images