Senate panel advances Todd Blanche in 12-10 vote for attorney general
What's next: Blanche heads to a full Senate vote after scrapping a disputed $1.8 billion fund that had threatened GOP support.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, winning a 12-10 party-line vote that sends President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general to the full Senate. Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, broke a standoff with Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis after issuing a written order that ended a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The agreement also narrowed tax-audit protections tied to Trump’s IRS lawsuit settlement to existing claims involving Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization. Democrats argued the fund could still be revived later and opposed the nomination. Blanche now needs 50 votes on the Senate floor, where Republicans can afford only limited defections.