President Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department has run into resistance from within his own party, and the president is now signaling he may pull the nomination rather than keep fighting for it. Trump now says he could temporarily pull Todd Blanche's nomination to be his attorney general as the confirmation stalls in the Senate.
The holdup traces back to a delayed vote. Republicans put the vote on hold amid concerns from GOP senators John Cornyn and Tom Tillis about President Trump's settlements with the IRS, turning what might have been a routine confirmation into a standoff between the White House and members of its own party.
At the center of the dispute is a demand for written assurances. The senators want it in writing from Blanche that the so-called anti-weaponization fund is dead, a roughly $1.8 billion fund they say could have seen the Department of Justice pay out millions to Trump allies, including January 6th rioters.
The senators are seeking a second guarantee as well. They want in writing that an IRS immunity agreement is narrower, an agreement that was part of the broader settlement of a lawsuit in which President Trump sued his own IRS, and which the agency struck with Trump, his family and their businesses.
So far, the negotiations have not produced a deal. Cornyn and Tillis have been going back and forth with the DOJ but have yet to reach an agreement, with Cornyn saying he felt they were making progress overnight before, in his words, a wrench was thrown into it in the morning, which he blamed on the White House.
Tillis was blunt about his view of the situation. He said the president is getting bad advice and should listen to Blanche and others who think that if the fund is dead, it should be rendered completely dead, adding that the administration could simply try the confirmation again later, framing the delay as a gamble that rests with the president.
The math in the Senate makes the outcome uncertain. Getting Blanche out of the Senate Judiciary Committee is only the first step, after which he would still have to clear a floor vote, and a number of moderate Republicans have voiced similar concerns. Among them is Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who said she shares Tillis' concerns and is waiting to see what kind of deal or concessions come from the Department of Justice. Trump, for his part, told the media he may wait for Cornyn and Tillis to be out of office next year.