Republicans clear Todd Blanche for top US Justice Department role

Blanche clears committee vote after Republicans unify in support, Democrats warn of loyalty to Trump.United States President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, has cleared a major hurdle in his effort to be confirmed as the country’s top law enforcement official.On Tuesday, Blanche was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 12-10 vote along party lines, the last major step before his confirmation is put to a full vote in the Senate in the coming days.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Todd Blanche’s loyalty to Trump questioned in Senate confirmation hearinglist 2 of 3Trump’s attorney general pick faces possible Republican roadblocklist 3 of 3Republicans delay vote on Trump’s US attorney general pick amid concernsend of listThe vote followed days of delay after two Republicans, Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voiced concerns over Blanche’s close relationship to Trump, and specifically, his role in a settlement between the president and the US tax agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).The deal created a $1.8bn so-called “anti-weaponisation” fund, which critics saw as a scheme to reward Trump’s allies using ta...