Todd Blanche AG nomination vote by Senate Judiciary postponed amid Trump-IRS settlement concerns

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche gives opening remarks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be Attorney General, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC on July 15, 2026. Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night postponed the scheduled vote on Thursday on the nomination of Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general.The postponement came as two key Republican senators said they still had concerns about the controversial settlement of President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the IRS.Shortly before the postponement was announced, the Department of Justice sent a new response to the senators, John Cornyn of Texas and North Carolina's Thom Tillis.Blanche's nomination, to get a vote by the full Senate, needs to be advanced by a majority of the Judiciary Committee, which was set to vote Thursday. The committee has 12 Republican members and 10 Democrats. Every Democrat is expected to vote against Blanche.If Cornyn or Tillis were to vote against Blanche, it would prevent his nomination from moving to the full Senate.Tillis had warned that he did not expect his concerns to be fully addresse...