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Blanche clears committee hurdle
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general in a 12-10 vote along party lines, clearing a major hurdle before a full Senate vote in the coming days.
“approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 12-10 vote along party lines”
The vote followed days of delay after Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voiced concerns over Blanche’s close relationship to Trump and his role in a settlement between the president and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
That deal created a $1.8bn so-called “anti-weaponisation” fund, which critics saw as a scheme to reward Trump’s allies using taxpayer money while also limiting certain future IRS audits involving Trump, his oldest sons and the Trump Organization.
A federal judge accused Blanche of double-dealing, alleging he was working on behalf of both the president’s personal interests and the government agency he was meant to defend, and Blanche said the fund has been voided.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s committee vote, Republican Senator Charles Grassley called it a “crime” that it took so long for the Department of Justice to provide stronger assurances on the fund.
Collins votes no
After the committee advanced Blanche’s nomination, Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced she will vote against Blanche’s confirmation, citing actions that “further eroded the Department’s independence.”
Collins said, “While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political,” and she pointed to the IRS settlement and the now-canceled “anti-weaponization fund.”
CNN reported Blanche’s confirmation chances hit an early hiccup Tuesday night as Collins’ opposition raised the stakes for Republicans trying to secure nearly every Republican on the Senate floor.
CNN also described Blanche as having aggressively pursued the president’s agenda since he took over on an interim basis in April, including investigations tied to the president’s political priorities and perceived foes.
With Sen. Mitch McConnell still absent from the Hill, CNN said Republicans can only lose two GOP senators, including Collins, and a third GOP loss would fail the confirmation vote if Democrats vote “no.”
Deal rescinded, future at risk
Blanche’s path to confirmation gained momentum after he formally withdrew President Donald Trump’s plan for a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund, with two holdout senators saying they were ready to support him.
“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund”
In a joint statement, Thom Tillis and John Cornyn said, “We are pleased that the Department of Justice has issued a formal order terminating the anti-weaponization fund,” clearing the way for Blanche to be confirmed on a permanent basis.
The BBC said the proposed fund was announced to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns and would have allowed Trump allies to claim compensation for what they say were politically motivated prosecutions.
The BBC also reported that a second concern was that the deal shielded the president, his family and their businesses from IRS audits of their past tax returns, and the holdouts wanted the scope narrowed.
Even with the fund terminated, the BBC warned that if Democrats won the majority in the Senate during the November midterm elections, it would most certainly doom Blanche’s chances of becoming the 88th US Attorney General.
