Todd Blanche Faces GOP Scrutiny Over $1.8 Billion IRS Fund Ahead of July 15 Confirmation Hearing
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 16
Todd Blanche Faces GOP Scrutiny Over $1.8 Billion IRS Fund Ahead of July 15 Confirmation Hearing
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 16
Summary
Senate Republicans are pressing Todd Blanche for stronger assurances before his July 15-16 confirmation hearings, with several saying his defense of a $1.8 billion IRS settlement fund remains a central problem.
That scrutiny intensified after Blanche defended the fund at a Senate Appropriations hearing, then drew sharp criticism at a closed-door GOP lunch that helped delay a Republican immigration bill by more than a week.
Blanche eased some concerns only after telling House appropriators the administration would not move forward with the fund, but senators including Thom Tillis say it must be effectively dead by his hearing.
John Thune has stopped short of promising confirmation, saying Blanche first must win over skeptical Judiciary Committee Republicans; John Kennedy said he expects a rigorous process despite likely eventual approval.
The resistance appears tied more to Blanche's Justice Department actions than to his past as Trump's personal lawyer, which Republicans already accepted when confirming him as deputy attorney general last year.