Good Tuesday evening. In this edition: Senate panel advances Blanche's attorney general nomination after deal to revise Trump's IRS settlement.
Plus, Miller, Pirro, Edwards, funding and Trump arch.
Attorney General
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general, clearing the way for a confirmation vote after he reached a deal with a pair of Republican holdouts to limit President Trump's controversial IRS settlement.
The vote was 12–10, along party lines, sending the nomination to the full Senate, which could vote to confirm him before the chamber leaves at the end of the week for its summer recess.
The vote came after a week of uncertainty over Mr. Blanche's fate as Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) demanded written assurances that the Justice Department would permanently scrap a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and narrow the scope of a provision granting President Trump and his family broad tax immunity.
Either senator, both of whom are leaving office in January after being pushed out by President Trump, could have bottled up Mr. Blanche's nomination in committee, preventing it from reaching the full Senate.
Mr. Blanche, the president's former personal attorney who has led the Justice Department in an acting capacity since April, brokered the settlement in May to resolve the president's lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns during his first administration.
Senators of both parties sharply criticized its terms, particularly the "anti-weaponization" fund designed to compensate people who claim to have been unfairly prosecuted during the Biden administration, potentially including rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Sen. Cornyn, who delayed the committee's vote set for last week, said he was satisfied with the written assurances Mr. Blanche provided.
"Given this agreement with Mr. Blanche, I expect the department to live up to this in future litigation, and I will vote to advance him out of the committee today," he said ahead of the panel's vote.
"We need a stabilizing force at the Department of Justice, and Mr. Blanche deserves the opportunity to provide that," he added. "The Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation's top law enforcement officer."
Sen. Tillis also said he was comfortable with the formal documentation Mr. Blanche provided, saying it would permanently scrap the fund that he referred to as a "payout pot for punks."
"It made no sense to me, and I thought it was an insult to the police officers and the people that defended us on January the 6th," he said. "It's done. It's been rescinded, and I am satisfied."
While Democrats also wanted to see the fund nixed, they voted in lockstep against Mr. Blanche's nomination, portraying him as an untrustworthy nominee willing to do President Trump's bidding and further erode the Justice Department's independence.
Sen. Durbin also argued the "anti-weaponization" fund could easily be revived, calling Mr. Blanche's assurances "unenforceable" because they were not signed by the parties to the settlement.
"The parties could still sue to enforce the agreement, and the cop beaters fund can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general," he said. "Indeed, the president himself has loudly telegraphed that's his plan."
President Trump has repeatedly defended the fund, including as recently as Monday, when he said he viewed it as "a positive" and that "a lot of Republicans do too."
"These people were treated horribly, and this fund could have given them some solace," he told reporters at a Cabinet meeting, adding that he "didn't look at" the agreement Mr. Blanche provided to the Republican senators. "All I know is that Todd Blanche is great."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he hopes the chamber will vote on Mr. Blanche's nomination before leaving for the August recess.
Mr. Blanche can afford to lose only two Republican votes given Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) extended absence.
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In other news…
Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) called for a House Ethics Committee investigation into himself to clear his name as he refuses to drop his reelection bid amid allegations that he assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old daughter. President Trump has privately expressed concern about the second-term congressman's reelection prospects ahead of Wednesday's deadline to withdraw and allow the Ohio Republican Party to select a new nominee. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Emily Moreno's father, said Rep. Miller was unfit to serve in Congress. "As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter," he said on social media. "If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives."
President Trumplashed out at Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host he tapped as U.S. attorney in Washington, DC, after she dropped charges against David Hern, the former Olympian she had accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. After the president blamed vandalism for the pool's troubles, Ms. Pirro charged Mr. Hern, who reached into the water to touch a piece of floating paint, with felony vandalism. "This is not only a priority for the president, but for myself," Ms. Pirro said in early July. "We will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn willfully destroyed property." But on Friday, Ms. Pirro filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying the damage was "the result of a botched installation and not vandalism" and that prosecutors had been misled by the Interior Department. "I don't know what the hell happened," President Trump told reporters Monday. "I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro." Ms. Pirro was photographed leaving the White House later Monday with a large white box that media outlets reported contained evidence exculpating Mr. Hern.
The House Ethics Committeerecommended that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) face censure after an investigation found he "fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment" by giving gifts and lavishing attention on two young female staffers. The investigation, which began earlier this year following complaints about his conduct, uncovered no evidence that he engaged in sexual activity with the staffers or suggested it. However, investigators concluded his behavior likely violated provisions of the House Code of Official Conduct prohibiting sexual harassment and unwanted advances. The campaign of Rep. Edwards, who is locked in a tight reelection battle, denounced the panel's recommendation, saying the investigation's findings "completely exonerate" the congressman and that he "looks forward to having his name cleared."
The Senatevoted89–4 on Monday night to advance a stopgap spending bill that would keep the government funded, largely at current levels, through Dec. 11. The bill is a priority for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who will need to reach a time agreement with Democrats to clear it before the chamber breaks for the summer recess. It differs slightly from the version the House passed before leaving for its own recess and includes language preventing the Trump administration from putting political appointees in charge of approving grants and barring Border Patrol and ICE from receiving new funding under the stopgap measure.
The National Park Serviceconcluded that President Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch could detract from the historical significance of numerous sites near its planned location. An NPS report said the arch, which received initial approval from a key federal commission last month, would affect the "integrity" of dozens of historic properties by changing the "character-defining visual and spatial relationships" between them. Among the affected sites, the report said, is the alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge and Arlington House, the former home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. "The bridge alignment and associated ceremonial landscape were intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River," the report said.
For your radar…
Voters are heading to the polls in Michigan, Kansas, Virginia, Washington and Missouri for key primary elections, headlined by the Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), a centrist backed by party leaders. The winner of the race will face former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) in the general election to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Watch C-SPAN's coverage of the races Tuesday night beginning at 7pm ET.
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