The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed a scheduled vote on Todd Blanche's nomination to become US Attorney General after two Republican senators declined to back him, casting uncertainty over his confirmation. Blanche, currently serving as acting Attorney General and formerly Donald Trump's personal lawyer, was nominated to permanently lead the Department of Justice, but the delay highlights internal Republican unease over unresolved questions linked to Trump's dealings with the tax authorities.

Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis are withholding support pending written assurances on two points: that a proposed $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund", intended to compensate people allegedly wronged by the Justice Department, is definitively dropped, and that Trump's tax immunity agreement arising from his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS applies only to existing audits rather than future tax filings. The dispute traces back to a settlement in Trump's IRS case, over which a federal judge had already criticised Blanche's role. The Justice Department submitted revised language addressing senators' concerns on Wednesday evening, but the committee still postponed the vote originally set for Thursday.