President Donald Trump said he may temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general, after Republican senators withheld support and a committee vote was postponed. The episode matters because it exposes resistance within Trump’s own party to a nominee who is already serving as acting attorney general, and could delay confirmation of the country’s top law-enforcement official.

Trump said he could resubmit Blanche’s nomination after Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office next January. The dispute centres on a settlement involving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, with the senators seeking limits and assurances concerning a tax-audit immunity arrangement benefiting Trump and members of his family.