Cornyn blocks Blanche AG nomination as vote in doubt

The confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to become the nation's attorney general is in serious jeopardy after a key Republican senator refused to commit his support, throwing a scheduled committee vote into doubt. Senator John Cornyn of Texas announced on July 29 that he had canceled a last-minute meeting with Blanche and was not prepared to vote in favor of the nomination, citing the Justice Department's failure to provide written assurances regarding a controversial legal settlement.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a vote on Blanche's nomination on July 30. Cornyn's support is considered essential for the nomination to advance out of the narrowly divided committee. Without his vote, the nomination could stall. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley set a 4 p.m. deadline on July 29 for Cornyn to indicate his position.

At the heart of the dispute is a settlement agreement between the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service that resolved a lawsuit former President Donald Trump filed after the leak of his tax returns in 2019. The agreement included a provision to create a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" and granted broad immunity...