Todd Blanche, former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, cleared a critical step on the path to becoming U.S. attorney general. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Blanche's nomination in a 12-10 vote on Tuesday. The decision was the final major stage before a final vote in the full Senate in the coming days.
The vote followed days of discussions between Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis and Blanche to address their concerns about his close relationship with Trump and his role in an agreement between the president and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Debate over the IRS agreement
The agreement had created a $1.8 billion “disarmament” fund. Critics view it as a plan to reward Trump's allies with taxpayers' money and limit some future IRS audits of Trump, his eldest sons and the Trump Organization. A federal judge had previously accused Blanche of acting with a conflict of interest in these dealings, alleging that he worked both for the president's personal interests and for the government agency he was supposed to defend.
Although Blanche announced that the fund had been canceled, Cornyn and Tillis insisted that they had not received sufficient assurances that the agreement could not return in the future. Trump's weekend statements defending the agreement again also failed to ease their concerns.
Blanche, who is serving as acting attorney general, made public signed documents over the weekend canceling the fund and clarifying the scope of those protected from the IRS investigation. Although experts questioned the documents' legal force, Cornyn and Tillis changed their positions on Monday and announced that they would support Blanche's nomination.
Speaking before Tuesday's vote, Republican Senator Charles Grassley called it “criminal” that it had taken the Justice Department so long to provide stronger assurances about the fund. However, he said the issue had been resolved “never to come up again.”
Democratic opposition
All Democratic senators on the committee voted against Blanche's nomination and accused Republicans of covering up concerns about Blanche's loyalty to Trump. Delaware Senator Chris Coons said, “Citizens want and deserve an independent and transparent Justice Department,” adding, “I do not believe that Mr. Blanche can or wants to achieve that goal.”
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin claimed that Blanche had “aided and abetted the most corrupt administration in American history.”
Comey case and concerns about political interference
Blanche's apparent willingness as acting attorney general to prosecute Trump's political rivals also became a source of concern. That was also seen in the case against former FBI Director James Comey. Comey was charged with threatening the president through a social media post containing the numbers “86 47.” In the restaurant industry, “86” means removing an item from the menu, while “47” has been interpreted as a reference to Trump being the 47th president of the United States. Legal experts question the case's legal basis, arguing that the ambiguous message most likely constitutes protected political speech.
Speaking before the committee vote, Republican Senator Thom Tillis argued that both parties had faced problems in recent years over the “weaponization” of the federal justice system. “I will support Mr. Blanche's nomination, but I hope he changes the course of this nonsense,” he said.
