U.S. President Donald Trump said today that he is considering withdrawing the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the permanent role, citing opposition from Senate Republicans over provisions tied to a tax-related legal settlement.
Speaking as the nomination faced resistance in the Senate, Trump said that he may pull Blanche’s nomination rather than agree to making concessions to Senate Republicans demanding limits to a sweeping tax immunity agreement and potential payouts for Trump allies that the president negotiated with his own Department of Justice.
The demands are from Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who have called for additional limits on aspects of an agreement related to Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Trump stated that the will keep Blanche in the role as Acting Attorney General until Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office.
Todd Blanche has served as Acting Attorney General while awaiting confirmation to the permanent position. Under the U.S. Constitution, Cabinet-level appointments, including the attorney general, require Senate approval.
“I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.”
Donald Trump
Cornyn and Tillis, who both leave office next year, have sought additional assurances in writing spelling a final end to an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. Cornyn said that he isn’t prepared to vote “yes” without an agreement.
The two Senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill next year, have also pressed Trump’s administration to modify the controversial settlement that afforded the Republican President and members of his family protection from tax audits to make clear that it covers only existing audits and does not protect him from examination of future tax filings.
Early today, Cornyn said to a news agency that he received an updated offer from the Justice Department Wednesday night and sent back a counter proposal. However, he said that he’s getting some pushback from “higher ups” at the White House.
Cornyn said that he wants Blanche to recommit to what he said in his testimony about the “anti-weaponization fund” being “dead,” but claimed Blanche doesn’t want to put it in writing. “We want to make sure that it remains dead, and that the president isn’t given any immunity from future audits that the ordinary taxpayer would not enjoy,” he told the news agency.
Tillis seemed more optimistic about a resolution, but said that he believes someone at the White House is “giving the President bad advice.” “The only reason why we wouldn’t move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point,” he said.
In his post on social media, Trump doubled down on choosing his former personal lawyer as the nation’s Attorney General, calling him “a STAR.”
“Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time. However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting.”
Donald Trump
Trump’s comments came after the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a planned vote today to advance Blanche’s nomination. With all Democratic Senators opposed, just one Republican holdout on the committee could sink Blanche’s prospects for confirmation.
Meanwhile, Cornyn said he and Tillis aren’t the only Senators with concerns, thus rejecting suggestions that opposition to the agreement was limited to himself and Tillis.
Cornyn, in a social media post today, wrote that Trump is “mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.”
The comments point to the possibility that additional Republican senators may also have reservations about the agreement, potentially complicating Blanche’s path to Senate confirmation.
If Trump formally withdraws Blanche’s nomination, the White House would have the option of submitting a new nominee or continuing with acting leadership, subject to applicable federal laws governing temporary appointments.
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