Senate panel delays Blanche AG vote over IRS settlement demands

The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed a scheduled vote on advancing Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as attorney general, reflecting lingering concerns from two Republican senators about a May settlement between the Internal Revenue Service and President Donald Trump along with his sons. The delay, announced late Wednesday, leaves the timing of any new markup unclear and underscores the procedural steps required for nominees to clear committee before reaching the full Senate.

Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general, oversaw the agreement that resolved a lawsuit filed by the Trumps seeking $10 billion in damages over the leak of their tax returns. The settlement halted certain IRS audits of Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization. It also established a proposed $1.776 billion fund intended to compensate individuals who claimed to be victims of political weaponization by the Justice Department, with eligibility provisions that could have extended to some people convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. A federal judge later blocked implementation of the fund after it drew bipartisan criticism and legal challenges.

Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have pressed for written, binding assurances that the fund cannot be revived and that the audit protections do not extend beyond existing matters. Cornyn has indicated he wants explicit language limiting the settlement's scope to audits already underway rather than shielding future tax filings. In public comments, he described the Justice Department's responses as insufficient and accused officials of stonewalling efforts to resolve the issue. Tillis has similarly signaled that verbal statements from Blanche that the fund is dead fall short of the documentation needed to address his objections.

The committee had been set to vote Thursday morning on whether to advance the nomination. With 12 Republicans and 10 Democrats on the panel, Blanche would need a majority to move forward. Democrats are expected to oppose the nomination, so any defection from Cornyn or Tillis could block progress at this stage. A committee spokesperson noted that the postponement allows continued work to secure enough support for a favorable report, describing Blanche as highly qualified while acknowledging the need to address the senators' requests.

The episode illustrates how Senate confirmation processes can hinge on relatively narrow disputes even within a president's own party. Committee leaders have sought to manage the nomination through standard markup procedures, yet the settlement's terms have introduced complications that extend beyond typical partisan lines. Blanche has maintained that the anti-weaponization provision is no longer operative, but the continued presence of related language in the signed agreement has kept the matter open for Cornyn and Tillis.

Observers of Senate operations note that such delays are not uncommon when senators from the majority party raise substantive questions about an executive action. The full Senate would still need to confirm Blanche if the committee advances him, requiring coordination across multiple procedural checkpoints. No new vote date has been set, leaving the nomination's near-term trajectory dependent on whether additional written commitments from the Justice Department can satisfy the two holdouts.