WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A planned vote to move forward with appeared in doubt Wednesday as a key Republican senator demanded more assurances from the Justice Department about the against the Internal Revenue Service.
GOP Sen. John Cornyn, a crucial swing vote, called off a scheduled Wednesday meeting with Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi’s firing in April. Cornyn told reporters that the Justice Department has not adequately addressed in writing his concerns about the settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote for Thursday to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate, but could be delayed if there’s no resolution. Another Republican on the committee, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, has backed Cornyn’s position, and just one Republican holdout could sink Blanche’s prospects.
鈥淭hey know what they need to do but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary in May, said of the Justice Department.
At the center of the fight is the settlement of Trump鈥檚 $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that included a deal to drop tax claims against the president and a now-scrapped plan to create a to compensate people who believe they were wronged by the Justice Department. The Justice Department said in June that it was no longer moving forward with the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund” amid bipartisan outrage but officials have said the audit immunity agreement remains in place.
Some lawmakers have raised concerns that the fund could be resurrected absent a commitment in writing from the Trump administration that it is dead, especially since Trump has expressed continued support for the idea. Blanche had previously resisted requests for a formal written retraction, though he told earlier this month that the administration would be willing to help craft legislation to bar the creation of the fund.
Cornyn has also demanded clarification from the Justice Department on the scope of the tax immunity deal. Blanche has said the deal covers any existing audits but does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.
鈥淲e’re been trying to help them get to a conclusion here and they won’t let us. It’s befuddling to me,鈥� Cornyn said.
A person familiar with the matter said the Justice Department provided Cornyn鈥檚 office with a written proposal seeking to address his concerns around the audit immunity agreement and the fund. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive discussions surrounding Blanche鈥檚 confirmation.
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Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.
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