Dem
47
GOP
53
The game of chicken between Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) on one hand, and wannabe AG Todd Blanche and Donald Trump on the other, is still in effect, and may continue for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on advancing Blanche's nomination, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed indefinitely.
The issue, as we have written previously, is that Cornyn and Tillis really, really hate the $1.8 billion slush fund Blanche created as part of the "settlement" the Department of Justice reached with Trump over his tax cases. They want ironclad confirmation that the idea is dead, as the administration has said, and have even provided a draft of the paperwork that they want Blanche to sign. Blanche and the DOJ are trying to negotiate exactly what the paperwork says, which makes it clear that the slush fund is not actually dead.
Technically, if either Cornyn or Tillis votes against the nomination, then it's dead. However, Cornyn is the vote that actually matters, because he is the one taking the lead in making demands and in making clear what is needed to satisfy those demands. Tillis has said, several times, that he is going to follow Cornyn's lead. It is a reminder that to be a U.S. senator, you have to be 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and a resident of the state you represent, but there is nothing in the Constitution about being a vertebrate.
Clearly, neither side wants to give in. However, time is an X-factor here. The Senate is scheduled to be in session next week, and then it's supposed to recess... until September 14. If Blanche's status is still up in the air when the senators leave town, that will not be a good thing for his AG aspirations. First, it's 6 more weeks for the members of the Judiciary Committee to think about Blanche's corruption, and his ongoing commitment to it. It's also 6 more weeks for the members to get several earfuls from constituents. Meanwhile, if the Senate starts wrestling with the nomination in mid-September, that puts Blanche's corrupt bargain in the headlines again, just 6 weeks before the election. Not good.
So, the White House should be very motivated to get this thing done before August 7. The question is whether either side will blink before then. (Z)