Senate lawmakers scrapped a committee vote scheduled for Thursday to consider Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, unwilling to continue unless they receive assurances that Blanche won't try to revive a controversial plan to compensate people who allege they've been wronged by the government.
The nearly $1.8 billion fund was created as part of legal settlement aimed at compensating people who believe they were wrongfully targeted by the U.S. government. Lawmakers voiced immediate concerns that the money would be sent to allies of President Donald Trump and people convicted for assaulting police officers during the Capitol insurrection on January 6.
The fund overshadowed Blanche's early confirmation hearings. In June, Blanche said the Trump administration was scrapping plans for the fund — but this week, lawmakers have been looking for more assurances.
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Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn gave Blanche a 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline to assure in writing that the so-called anti-weaponization fund was dead and not coming back.
Cornyn told reporters if he didn't get the assurances he wanted, he planned to vote against Blanche's nomination.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but the meeting with Todd Blanche is off," Cornyn said.
He said at the time Blanche still had time to address his concerns, but he pointed out "there's no real need to have a meeting if they will just produce the documentation that we've requested."
Scripps News followed Blanche around Capitol Hill Wednesday. He was not willing to answer reporters' questions about whether he would respond to Cornyn. He also would not answer whether he thinks he has the votes to be confirmed.
