Senate panel moves Todd Blanche closer to attorney general post
What's new: GOP holdouts backed the nomination after Blanche killed a proposed $1.8 billion fund tied to Trump's IRS lawsuit settlement.
The Senate Judiciary Committee was set Tuesday to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to lead the Justice Department after he won over Republican holdouts. Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis had threatened to block him unless the department formally scrapped a proposed $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies tied to the settlement of Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaked tax returns. Blanche issued an order Sunday stating there was no fund and that no money had been transferred or claims process created. The Justice Department also narrowed a tax-audit immunity provision, saying it applies only to open claims and covers only Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization.