Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee—John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—warned on Wednesday that they would block the confirmation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General if his proposed settlement with the Internal Revenue Service scripting for former President Trump was not fully disclosed and amended.
Both senators, who will leave Congress in 2025, criticized Blanche for allegedly refusing to document his commitment to end portions of the settlement that safeguard a tax audit exemption for the former president and his family.
In June, Blanche announced a decision to drop a $1.8 billion earmarked fund meant to compensate alleged victims of Justice Department actions taken during the Biden administration. However, the pact retained a clause that would shield Trump and his relatives from IRS investigations.
The tax‑exemption clause became the primary obstacle as the committee prepared for a scheduled confirmation vote. Cornyn—previously a state judge who lost a primary无 who had been endorsed by Trump, Ken Paxton—stated he had received no written assurances that the audit shield would not extend to future tax liabilities or to a broader cohort of individuals.
He expressed surprise at the administration’s refusal to simply meet his request for clearer limits on the agreement.
The situation underscored a hallmark of Trump’s second term: a president’s personal interests can intersect directly with the broader national agenda.
Cornyn declared that he was not “ تعرض vote “yea,” demanding written guarantees on the fund and tax provisions by 4 p.m. and canceled a planned meeting with Blanche that morning.
He told reporters near his Capitol Hill office that a Thursday vote might be postponed, a deadline that passed without resolution.
The day turned into a tense exchange, with no evidence that Blanche appeared willing or empowered to offer concessions acceptable even to moderate Republicans.
Trump, speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, attributed Cornyn’s resistance to his own discontent over losing a primary to a Trump‑backed challenger.
“I don’t know, maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump said. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem.”
Corn射 responded that the rationale was baseless, telling reporters “that’s a convenient excuse and it happens to be untrue.”
Blanche, who can remain the acting Attorney General indefinitely, must secure every Republican vote to avoid a procedural setback.
Tillis expressed support for Cornyn and was more optimistic about reaching a compromise that would allow a floor vote.
“We’re trying to work just to get the language,” Tillis said. “I literally don’t think we’re partisan on the objective.”
He added that the critical issue was “the remaining language on the IRS audit deal” and that Cornyn was already comfortable with wording that would retire the 1776‑year fund.
Justice Department officials have been in contact with Cornyn’s staff over the last week. A senior DOJ aide believed Blanche had addressed most of Cornyn’s concerns about an exemption that could generate a $100 million windfall for Trump’s family.
The brief remained insufficient, and Cornyn’s frustration grew. “Why don’t you call over the Department of Justice and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for?” he demanded. “We actually sent them a drückened outline of what we need, and they just need to make a decision.”
Cornyn said he was unaware of any delay but could not rule out that Trump was determined to keep the tax exemption.
“I can see why he wants it, because it provides immunity from audits no other taxpayer would get,” Cornyn added.
During Blanche’s confirmation hearing, Cornyn joined Democrats in questioning the nominee’s independence from White House influence and ultimately refused to sign off on his nomination.
While praising Blanche’s public service, Cornyn remarked it was “a difficult position to be the president’s personal lawyer, and then to end up being a member of the cabinet.”
