Vote on Blanches confirmation as AG postponed, Grassleys office says

The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed its scheduled Thursday vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office said Wednesday evening.

Before the postponement, Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whose support on the committee is essential for Blanche to advance, said he was still waiting for answers over his lingering concerns about Trump’s settlement with the IRS and the administration’s so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”

In a statement, the committee said, “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,†the committee added.

Earlier Wednesday, Cornyn said he canceled a meeting with Blanche because the Department of Justice has yet to provide him with satisfactory documentation to meet his demands that the fund be rescinded and that the scope of the IRS audit immunity agreement in the settlement be narrowed.

Blanche was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with a series of senators. But a pivotal meeting with Cornyn, whose support on the committee is essential for Blanche to advance, was canceled at the last minute.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, another holdout, said while progress has been made with the DOJ, nothing has been finalized yet. 

“We’re not there yet, and on this issue, I’m in full support of what Cornyn’s trying to do. Cornyn took what I had and added what a former judge and an attorney would to, making sure that it be a complete and final,†Tillis told reporters off the Senate floor.

As part of Trump’s settlement with the IRS, the DOJ issued an addendum, signed by Blanche in his role as acting attorney general, that would bar the government from continuing any existing audits of tax returns filed by Trump, his family and their companies — concerning Cornyn and some other Republicans such as Tillis. 

“To me, it’s pretty simple. They could state that in a modified release form, and that would be responsive to my request. But for some reason, I don’t know whether it’s the staff of the DOJ or who it is, but they simply — they know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn told reporters after the meeting with Blanche was canceled.

“There’s no real need to have a meeting if they will just produce the documentation that we’ve requested, and that he testified to under oath during his hearing,” Cornyn said.

Blanche said during a July 15 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the controversial so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund was “dead.” Cornyn had demanded that commitment be put in writing.

It doesn’t appear that the DOJ provided Cornyn with a draft of the revised settlement paperwork ahead of Wednesday’s planned meeting. But the agency did provide Cornyn with a draft order from the Office of the Attorney General rescinding the $1.8 billion so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and an explanation about why it was being rescinded.

However, the revised order does not change anything related to the audit portion of the settlement. With time ticking down, the DOJ’s actions have yet to appease Cornyn’s demands. 

“I haven’t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested,” Cornyn said.

“Why don’t you call over to the Department of Justice and tell them they have 1 hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for?” Cornyn told reporters on Wednesday afternoon before the deadline. “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.”

Cornyn said Wednesday evening that the DOJ has been communicating with him, but their responses have been unsatisfactory. 

“It was not responsive to my concerns. I mean, we’ve heard from them. It’s just that they refuse to commit to writing what he testified to under oath, and it’s not a big ask. We’re trying to help them get this solved, but they refuse to accept our help,†he said.

Asked why there has been a holdup, Cornyn said he believes the White House is getting involved behind the scenes. 

“Well, I assume he’s getting some pushback from the president’s lawyers,” he said.

Asked about Trump's comments Wednesday that Cornyn was only taking a stand against Blanche because Trump campaigned against him in his Senate primary, Cornyn laughed. 

“I think that's a convenient excuse for not cooperating with the Judiciary Committee’s appropriate role in the compromise.â€