Trump has ‘no objection’ to temporarily withdrawing Blanche’s AG nomination

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump said he may temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after failed negotiations delayed a vote to advance Blanche’s confirmation.

In a social media post, Trump said he has “no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name” and leaving him as acting attorney general until two Republican senators leave office next year.

The two senators Trump referred to are John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both have stated they will not support Blanche’s nomination without written guarantees that a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is eliminated. The fund is intended to compensate Trump allies who claim they were wrongly targeted by the government.

Another point of contention is the settlement’s audit immunity provision, which would bar the government from prosecuting Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization over current and past tax examinations. The senators are seeking assurances that the agreement would only apply to Trump’s past filings and not his future tax returns.

“We just want to end the fund, and this is not about Blanche. Blanche is negotiating in good faith. We have somebody else in the way, and I don’t believe it’s the president, and hopefully we can resolve it,” Tillis said.

Cornyn added, “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, and it wouldn’t cover other agencies other than the IRS.”

With all Democratic senators being in opposition to Blanche’s nomination, just one Republican siding with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee could block Blanche’s confirmation.

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