The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Todd Blanche’s bid to be attorney general after some Republican senators delayed the vote over the Trump administration’s controversial “weaponization” fund.
Key GOP holdouts on the committee, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., voted in favor of advancing Blanche’s nomination after striking a deal to “rescind” the $1.8 billion compensation fund and rein in other aspects of the Internal Revenue Service settlement that created it.
“It’s done. It’s been rescinded, and I am satisfied,” Tillis said of the fund during the markup. “We got to a good outcome, and I appreciate Mr. Blanche working in good faith.”
The final vote was 12-10, with all Democrats opposed.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, said their concerns were “shared by many, including this senator.”
