Senate Delays Vote on Attorney General Nominee

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Todd Blanche. The vote was scheduled for Thursday. Todd Blanche is a former criminal defense lawyer for Donald Trump. He is now the acting attorney general. The committee chair is Chuck Grassley. He is a Republican from Iowa. Two Republican senators want more information. Their names are Thom Tillis and John Cornyn. They want written assurances from the Department of Justice. They do not support the nomination without these assurances. They want a promise about a compensation fund. The fund is for people involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol storming. The fund size is $1.776 billion. They also want a promise about tax investigations. They want the IRS to stop investigating the president and his family. Tillis and Cornyn lost their re-election bids this year. Donald Trump backed their opponents in the primaries. A spokesperson said Chairman Grassley wants nominees to succeed. The committee says Todd Blanche is highly qualified. The delay shows some disagreement in the committee. The committee needs enough support for the nomination. Work continues to get that support. The final vote date is not known yet. This delay matters for the Department of Justice. It affects policy decisions and future investigations. The acting attorney general will stay in his role for now.