Senate Judiciary Committee to Vote on Todd Blanche’s Nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote soon on the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Department of Justice permanently. Recently, two Republican senators announced they would support moving the nomination forward.
This morning, the committee gathered to make final remarks before deciding whether to advance Blanche’s nomination to the Senate, just before the upcoming August recess.
Given the slim majority Republicans hold in the Senate, Blanche requires nearly unanimous support from his party since there appears to be little backing from Democrats.
During the meeting, Senators John Cornyn from Texas and Thom Tillis from North Carolina revealed their intentions to vote for Blanche after initially holding back due to concerns over an IRS settlement involving leaked tax returns, in which Donald Trump is a plaintiff.
Initially proposed in May, an almost $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating individuals targeted unlawfully or improperly for political reasons faced major backlash and was ultimately dropped.
However, because of their hesitation, Cornyn and Tillis delayed the confirmation process, seeking written assurances that the fund wouldn’t be revisited. They were also worried about audit protections for Trump, his family, and business associates that were included in the settlement.
In response to these concerns, Blanche posted on X on Sunday to announce the official rescinding of the fund and clarified the limits on the audit protections. It stated these protections are only retroactive, concerning claims that were open when the settlement was reached, thus not covering any future audits.
A spokesperson for Cornyn confirmed an agreement was reached between the senator and the DOJ. Cornyn remarked that it clarified the protections solely pertain to the lawsuit’s plaintiffs.
Moreover, Cornyn expressed that the DOJ requires a consistent presence at its helm rather than a temporary, unconfirmed figure.
In contrast, Senate Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with Blanche and the recent order that rescinded the fund, arguing that it failed to ensure a similar fund wouldn’t be established in the future.
