Todd Blanche nomination on edge over Trump, IRS settlement
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed the vote on Todd Blanche's nomination for U.S. attorney general due to Republican concerns over a controversial IRS settlement. Senators Cornyn and Tillis are seeking further assurances regarding the $1.8 billion fund established during the Trump administration.
Why it matters
The delay highlights internal Republican friction regarding the Department of Justice's past handling of tax-related litigation involving the former president.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night postponed the scheduled vote on Thursday to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general.
The postponement was due to two key Republican senators saying they still had concerns about the Department of Justice 's controversial settlement of President Donald Trump 's lawsuit against the IRS.
Blanche, as acting attorney general, oversaw that settlement, which created a now-canceled $1.8 billion fund that could have compensated allies of Trump, and which barred the IRS from audits or other enforcement actions related to tax returns filed by the president, his family or business entities before the settlement was reached in May.
Shortly before the postponement was announced, the DOJ sent a new response to the senators, John Cornyn of Texas and North Carolina's Thom Tillis. But the response was not enough to resolve their concerns.
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