RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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WASHINGTON — Todd Blanche’s path to confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States faced a setback Wednesday as two key Republicans pressed the Justice Department to commit in writing to kill an “anti-weaponization” fund that could give money to President Donald Trump’s allies and restrict the scope of the tax audit immunity given to him and his family members. The Senate Judiciary Committee had been set to hold a hearing to advance Blanche’s nomination on Thursday morning, and it would have gone to the full Senate if advanced by the committee. But GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom have clashed with Trump and neither of whom is facing re-election in November, have complicated Blanche’s path to confirmation. Much of the discussion has been around the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund that was established under a purported settlement between Trump and the executive branch he controls over a lawsuit the president filed over the disclosure of his tax records. The suit led to a five-year prison sentence for a former IRS contractor. A federal judge in Virginia indefinitely blocked the fund after a former Jan. 6 prosecutor sued. A federal judge in Florida found that Trump’s IRS lawsuit was brought in “bad faith” for an “improper purpose” and ordered sanctions against several people involved, including Blanche. But the settlement agreement also had provisions that offered Trump — along with his family members and companies —some protection from IRS audits. Cornyn, who lost his primary race to Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, had raised concerns with the purported IRS settlement. On Wednesday, Cornyn told reporters that Blanche’s team had failed to provide written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with Trump and his organization. “I haven’t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested,” Cornyn said. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he was in active discussions with the Justice Department. “They’re working on a draft right now,” Tillis said on Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve been in constant daily contact with DOJ, and to their credit, they’re engaging.” Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney, had served in the key No. 2 position at the Justice Department until Trump fired Pam Bondi as attorney general in April amid frustrations with her leadership. After taking over as the acting attorney general, Blanche told NBC News in April that Americans should be “happy” that Trump was so involved in Justice Department matters. Less than two weeks later, the Trump administration brought a case against former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime Trump foe, over an Instagram photo of seashells. Following the Comey indictment, Trump was said to be happy with Blanche’s job performance and ultimately ended up nominating him for the job permanently. Comey’s legal team argued in a court filing this week that the seashells case came about because Blanche was seeking to “please President Trump” during his “audition” for the role. During his confirmation hearing this month, Blanche said he was not a “yes man” for Trump.
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