91欧美激情

The Senate Judiciary Committee had been expected to vote Thursday on whether to advance Blanche鈥檚 nomination to the full chamber. But resistance from two Republican senators on the committee who could block Blanche’s nomination threw his confirmation into doubt.

A spokesperson for the committee said in a statement Wednesday night that the vote would be postponed 鈥渁s work continues to secure sufficient support.鈥� The delay came after hours of negotiations between the Justice Department and Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis over the controversial settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits.

At the center of the fight is the resolution of Trump鈥檚 $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. It included a deal to drop tax claims against the president and a now-scrapped plan to create a to compensate people who believe they were wronged by the Justice Department. The department that it was no longer moving forward with the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund” amid bipartisan outrage, but officials have said the audit immunity agreement remains in place.

Cornyn and Tillis have demanded additional assurances in writing that the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund鈥� is dead and have pressed for clarification on the scope of the tax immunity deal. Cornyn has said he wants the administration to modify that piece of the settlement to make clear that it covers only existing audits and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.

Cornyn, who recently lost the Republican primary in Texas, accused the Justice Department earlier Wednesday of 鈥渟tonewalling” and said 鈥渢he ball is in Blanche鈥檚 court.”

鈥淲e鈥檙e been trying to help them get to a conclusion here and they won鈥檛 let us. It鈥檚 befuddling to me,鈥� Cornyn told reporters.

Blanche didn鈥檛 answer shouted questions from reporters as he left Capitol Hill, where he had been meeting with senators Wednesday. The Justice Department sent Cornyn and Tillis new language Wednesday evening in an effort to satisfy their demands, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive discussions surrounding Blanche鈥檚 confirmation.

After the vote was postponed, the department said in a statement that it looks 鈥渇orward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns.鈥�

Trump on Wednesday downplayed any concerns about Blanche’s path to confirmation, calling his attorney general pick and former personal attorney 鈥渙utstanding.”

鈥淢aybe John Cornyn鈥檚 upset with me because I didn鈥檛 endorse him,鈥� Trump told reporters in response to questions about the senator’s requests.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the state’s Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, easily defeating Cornyn. Trump had endorsed Paxton.

Some lawmakers have questioned whether the 鈥淎nti-Weaponization Fund鈥� could be resurrected absent a commitment in writing from the Trump administration that it is not moving forward, especially since Trump has expressed continued support for the idea. Blanche had previously resisted requests for a formal written retraction, though he told earlier this month that the administration would be willing to help craft legislation to bar the creation of the fund.

The settlement resulting from Trump’s lawsuit over his leaked tax returns has drawn intense scrutiny both in Congress and in court. The judge handling the case said in a earlier this month that Trump had effectively engaged in self-dealing through the lawsuit and that she was troubled Blanche had signed the settlement, given his prior representation of Trump.

Blanche has said he disagrees 鈥渨ith the judge鈥檚 insinuations” about him.

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Associated Press reporters Seung Min Kim and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

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