Senate panel expected to advance Blanche’s attorney general nomination after deal with GOP holdouts

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee is expected to vote Tuesday to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department after the former personal lawyer for President Donald Trump secured the support of Republican senators who threatened to block his confirmation. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote follows a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had demanded written assurances about the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns.

Cornyn and Tillis had said they were withholding their support unless the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it was not moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the Trump administration had announced as part of the settlement. After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.” Since the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was announced, “No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid,” the order said. Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.

Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement. Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.

The order also doesn’t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government. Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White …