A meeting between Sen. John Cornyn and Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department was canceled ahead of a crucial step in the confirmation process.
The Texas senator was set to meet with Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal attorney and attorney general nominee, on Wednesday morning, but it was scrapped.
The face-to-face was scheduled one day before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Blanche’s nomination. Two Republican senators are still standing between Blanche and the top job at the Justice Department.
Cornyn has been demanding that it be put in writing that the nearly $1.8 billion“Anti-Weaponization” slush fund created as part of the settlement in response to Trump suing the IRS not move forward.
Blanche has claimed the fund is dead but admitted during his confirmation hearing earlier this month that there is a way it could be resurrected in a testy exchange with Cornyn.
The showdown between Blanche and the Texas senator comes after Trump backed Cornyn’s challenger Ken Paxton in the Senate primary runoff, bringing an end to the longtime senator’s time in Congress at the end of the year.
Cornyn still has several months to go before the end of his term, and he’s not quietly slinking off into the night. Instead, he has stood up to the president.
“They know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn told reporters after the meeting was called off on Wednesday.
Cornyn said there’s a 4 pm deadline on Wednesday set by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley to determine whether Blanche has enough votes in the committee. A scheduled vote last week was canceled.
“Hopefully they now recognize the seriousness of this,” Cornyn said.
If the Justice Department does not meet his demand, Cornyn said, “I’m not prepared to vote yes.”
Cornyn said there was still time to resolve it, but he said there was no need to have the meeting, “if they would just produce the documentation that we’ve requested.”
Blanche was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday looking to shore up support, but he did not answer reporters’ questions about his meetings or the fund.
Critics have warned the slush fund could be used to pay out Trump allies and those who attacked the U.S. Capitol and beat police officers on January 6. Even as Blanche has insisted it won’t move forward, Trump praised the fund as a “good idea.”
Cornyn is not the only Republican who Trump has gone after who is now coming back to haunt him. Senator Thom Tillis, who said he would not run for reelection in a battle with the president over his tax law last year, is another Blanche holdout seeking confirmation that the fund is dead in writing.
Tillis, who has praised Blanche overall, said on Wednesday it was not clear whether the Justice Department could meet their demands in time for Thursday’s vote or if it would have to be postponed until next week.
During Blanche’s confirmation hearing earlier this month, Cornyn brought up the “unusual” $1.776 billion fund that was announced earlier this year as part of the settlement after Trump sued the IRS for $10 billion in January.
“There is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It’s not moving forward,” Blanche testified.
But Cornyn was not satisfied with the administration simply saying the fund would not go forward amid the bipartisan backlash since it was revealed. He pulled out a copy of the settlement at the hearing.
“On page four, this settlement agreement can be modified—may be modified—only upon the written agreement of the parties. Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?" Cornyn asked.
“No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward,” Blanche said. “There’s no modification. It’s just- it never started. No money went from the Treasury to any other account. There’s no commissioners. It’s not moving forward.”
“So the settlement agreement remains as it was originally, but I hear what you’re saying,” Cornyn responded. “Is the settlement agreement enforceable as a contract by both parties?”
“Well, yes, it’s an enforceable document,” Blanche admitted. “So I suppose if President Trump’s counsel sought to enforce it, that they potentially could.”
Blanche also was hit by Tillis with a demand that he meet with the survivors of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as one of the conditions of his confirmation vote. After months of being accused of ignoring survivors, Blanche quickly set up a sit-down with them and their attorneys.
However, survivors of the sex offender slammed the attorney general nominee after the meeting and said it appeared he finally took the meeting in order to simply check the box as he attempts to be confirmed.
