President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, is facing a setback in the Senate after Republican opposition blocked his advancement out of the Judiciary Committee. Two Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined all Democrats in withholding support, preventing the nomination from moving to a full Senate vote.
The dispute centers on a settlement Blanche helped lead while serving as acting attorney general. That deal closed a lawsuit over leaks of Internal Revenue Service information and created an $1.8 billion fund, while also exempting Trump-related tax investigations. Cornyn and Tillis have said the exemption language is too vague and needs safeguards to prevent it from being interpreted too broadly.
Trump defended Blanche on social media but also said he would not oppose temporarily withdrawing the nomination until the Senate is reconstituted early next year. The president sharply criticized Cornyn and Tillis, who are both leaving office when their terms end early next year and have been described as “wounded bear” senators after backing other candidates Trump supported.
Blanche can continue leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity, so there is no immediate vacancy, but the confirmation fight is expected to continue. The setback is also seen as a sign of growing strain in Trump’s grip on the Republican Party heading into the midterm election cycle.