DERAILED

Trump Humiliated as Major Vote Postponed in Last-Minute Move

The president’s push to install his former personal lawyer as attorney general has been thrown into chaos.

President Donald Trump has been dealt a major blow after a pivotal vote to advance his attorney general pick was postponed at the 11th hour due to rebelling Republicans.

GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis derailed the planned Senate Judiciary Committee vote with just hours to spare, refusing to back acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s bid to be the full-time leader of the Justice Department.

The senators, both of whom are leaving office in January and have clashed with Trump, have demanded that Blanche put a definitive end to the DOJ’s deal with the president to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate Trump allies.

Blanche is yet to provide written assurances that the weaponization fund is dead, reports say, prompting the lawmakers to block Blanche’s nomination.

Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley announced the vote’s postponement after meeting with Cornyn and Tillis on Wednesday.

“Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement,” a spokesperson for the senator told the Daily Beast. “Tomorrow’s markup is postponed as work continues to secure sufficient support in committee to favorably report Attorney General-nominee Todd Blanche, who is highly qualified for the job.”

Reached for comment, a DOJ spokesperson told the Beast: “The Department has been in regular communication with Committee members for weeks, and we look forward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns.”

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While Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, has said the DOJ is abandoning the fund, Cornyn in particular has demanded that the commitment be made official in writing.

In a testy exchange with Cornyn during a confirmation hearing, Blanche admitted that there is a way the fund could be resurrected.

Cornyn, 74, was set to meet Blanche, 51, on Wednesday, but the Texas senator abruptly canceled the meeting, telling reporters he still hasn’t seen “a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested.”

“They know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” he said.

Trump effectively ended Cornyn’s Senate career when he endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over him in Texas’s Republican primary. Paxton went on to handily beat him in the runoff in May.

Cornyn was asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether his concerns centered on the $1.8 billion fund or the Trump family’s immunity from tax investigations, both of which were announced as part of an agreement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS.

“It’s both,” he answered.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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A DOJ official granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations told Politico that the department had sent the senators “new language” and was still “in discussion” with them.

Trump downplayed the chances that Cornyn could tank Blanche’s nomination, saying Wednesday, “I’ve heard he’s going through quite nicely.”

“Maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” he added. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem.”

Asked on Wednesday by reporters on Trump’s claim, Cornyn said, “That’s a convenient excuse, and it happens to be untrue.”

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On whether he had heard from the DOJ, Cornyn added, “We’ve heard from them, it’s just that they refuse to commit to writing what he testified to under oath. It’s not a big ask.”

When questioned on why he believed Blanche had not met his demands, Cornyn said, “I assume he’s getting some pushback from the president’s lawyers.”

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Erkki ForsterNight News Reporter

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