WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after on a Senate committee to advance for a floor vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump鈥檚 former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration鈥檚 priorities since in April.
The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators 鈥� John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina 鈥� who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of regarding the president鈥檚 leaked tax returns.
The full Senate could vote later this week on Blanche鈥檚 nomination. If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was , does not return before then.
Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.
After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming 鈥渂eyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.鈥�
Democrats complain about the fund
Democrats say Blanche鈥檚 order doesn鈥檛 go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general鈥檚 confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.
The order also doesn鈥檛 stop the administration from compensating Trump allies 鈥� including people who on Jan. 6, 2021 鈥� through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.
The fund 鈥渃an easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,鈥� said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee.
Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family .
Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit 鈥� Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization 鈥� are covered by the tax agreement.
Cornyn said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday, adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a 鈥渟tabilizing force” at the helm.
鈥淭he Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation鈥檚 top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind,” Cornyn said.
Blanche’s independence has been called into question
Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department鈥檚 pursuit of and the agency鈥檚 handling of files related to disgraced financier .
But it was the settlement of Trump鈥檚 $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche’s nomination, forcing a delay in the committee vote last week amid pressure from the two Republican senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill after their terms end in January.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, said Tillis and Cornyn鈥檚 demands were 鈥渃ommon sense.鈥� Grassley said the senators鈥� concerns about the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund鈥� and the IRS settlement were shared by many other lawmakers, including himself.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful that they as well as Mr. Blanche and the White House worked in good faith to solve them, formally rescinding the fund, clarifying the scope of the release of claims has put this issue to bed once and for all,” Grassley said.
Trump鈥檚 lawsuit has been sharply criticized because of the highly unusual way it was handled, with the president challenging an agency overseen by the executive branch he leads. A judge last month slammed the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing and referred one of Trump鈥檚 attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action.
Blanche was an important figure for Trump’s defense
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump鈥檚 defense team as the Republican battled , arrived at the Justice Department last year as . He was elevated to acting attorney general following Bondi鈥檚 failure to meet to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents.
While Blanche insisted he wasn鈥檛 auditioning for the permanent post, he moved swiftly to accelerate investigations into Trump foes and advance other White House priorities, drawing condemnation from critics who say he has not shed his title as Trump鈥檚 personal lawyer.
Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to , the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of 鈥�86 47.鈥�
Comey鈥檚 lawyers have of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution.
Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether over the last decade to undermine Trump.
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