Todd Blanche faces rocky Senate confirmation process for attorney general

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is headed for a rocky Senate confirmation process to take on the role permanently as several Republican senators raise concerns about his credibility and independence from President Trump.

Blanche faced withering criticism from Senate Republicans during a private meeting last month at which more than 20 GOP lawmakers vented their frustrations with the administration and panned the proposal he rolled out to establish a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

Blanche on Tuesday assured GOP senators in at least two private meetings that the fund is dead and he won’t support it if Trump tries to revive the idea in the future.

But he still faces skepticism over the fund and other issues, including an agreement that Trump reached with his administration to shield himself and his family from IRS audits of past tax returns.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, grilled Blanche during a private meeting Tuesday over the agreement not to audit the president or his family.

“It was a positive meeting. There’s still some unanswered questions about the tax audits and the scope of any immunity from future audits,” Cornyn said, adding that he would not make a decision about supporting Blanche until he testifies before the committee.

“He provided some clarity about the scope” of the deal with the IRS and “promised to have a more in-depth briefing over the details,” Cornyn said, summarizing his conversation with Blanche. “There’s a lot of confusion about whether it’s prospective, whether it includes things other than just taxes and maybe other government investigations.”

Cornyn is one of at least two Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, along with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), whose responses to Blanche are being closely scrutinized.

Tillis hasn’t been shy about opposing Trump’s priorities since he announced his retirement last year and has been a vehement critic of the........

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