{"id":61466,"date":"2026-08-05T10:22:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T10:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/61466\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T10:22:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T10:22:28","slug":"senate-committee-advances-blanches-attorney-general-nomination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/61466\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate committee advances Blanche’s attorney general nomination"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts<\/a> on a Senate committee to advance his nomination<\/a> for a floor vote. <\/p>\n

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump\u2019s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration\u2019s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi<\/a> in April. <\/p>\n

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators \u2014 John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina \u2014 who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump\u2019s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service<\/a> regarding the president\u2019s leaked tax returns. <\/p>\n

Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche\u2019s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn\u2019t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies<\/a> who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Sen.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\"Sen.<\/p>\n

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

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After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming \u201cbeyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was still unclear, though, if Republicans will have enough votes in the full Senate to confirm Blanche. A vote could come by the end of the week. <\/p>\n

If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was hospitalized after a fall<\/a>, does not return before then.<\/p>\n

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who is in a tough reelection race this year, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that she would not support Blanche because he has taken actions that \u201ceroded the department\u2019s independence,\u201d including the creation of the settlement fund. <\/p>\n

At least two other Republican senators have not said if they will vote to confirm Blanche \u2014 Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection earlier this year when Trump endorsed one of his primary opponents. Both declined comment when asked how they will vote. <\/p>\n

Democrats complain about the fund<\/p>\n

Democrats say Blanche\u2019s order doesn\u2019t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general\u2019s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it. <\/p>\n

The order also doesn\u2019t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies \u2014 including people who attacked the Capitol<\/a> on Jan. 6, 2021 \u2014 through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.<\/p>\n

The fund \u201ccan easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,\u201d said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee. <\/p>\n

Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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 \u2014 Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization \u2014 are covered by the tax agreement.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, left, and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana, File)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, left, and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana, File)<\/p>\n

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Cornyn said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday, adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a \u201cstabilizing force\u201d at the helm. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation\u2019s top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind,\u201d Cornyn said. <\/p>\n

Blanche\u2019s independence has been called into question<\/p>\n

Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department\u2019s pursuit of the president\u2019s political foes<\/a> and the agency\u2019s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex trafficking investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it was the settlement of Trump\u2019s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, said Tillis and Cornyn\u2019s demands were \u201ccommon sense.\u201d Grassley said the senators\u2019 concerns about the \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund\u201d and the IRS settlement were shared by many other lawmakers, including himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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,\u201d Grassley said. <\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s 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\u2019s attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action. <\/p>\n

Blanche was an important figure for Trump\u2019s defense<\/p>\n

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump\u2019s defense team as the Republican battled four indictments<\/a>, arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general<\/a>. He was elevated to acting attorney general following Bondi\u2019s failure to meet Trump\u2019s demands<\/a> to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Acting<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference on unaccompanied children at the Justice Department, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference on unaccompanied children at the Justice Department, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)<\/p>\n

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While Blanche insisted he wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s personal lawyer. <\/p>\n

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict longtime Trump adversary James Comey<\/a>, the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of \u201c86 47.\u201d <\/p>\n

Comey\u2019s lawyers have accused the Justice Department<\/a> of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution. <\/p>\n

Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired<\/a> over the last decade to undermine Trump. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[3641,1064,248,1783,1790,38,286,50,115,6529,8,162,10577,12307,1480,290,32415,3201,5668,762,9,735,1488,67,479,7756,13834,4325,360,472,3740,7,761,2631,54,365,100,373,69],"class_list":["post-61466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-stories","tag-alaska","tag-bill-cassidy","tag-chuck-grassley","tag-dc-wire","tag-district-of-columbia","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-general-news","tag-government-and-politics","tag-government-appointments-and-nominations","tag-headlines","tag-indictments","tag-internal-revenue-service","tag-james-comey","tag-jeffrey-epstein","tag-john-cornyn","tag-joseph-digenova","tag-lisa-murkowski","tag-mitch-mcconnell","tag-nc-state-wire","tag-news","tag-north-carolina","tag-pam-bondi","tag-politics","tag-richard-durbin","tag-ronald-reagan","tag-susan-collins","tag-taxes","tag-texas","tag-thom-tillis","tag-todd-blanche","tag-top-stories","tag-tx-state-wire","tag-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-u-s-news","tag-u-s-republican-party","tag-united-states-government","tag-united-states-senate","tag-washington-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}