President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his confirmation stalled in the Senate. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky blocked the confirmation hearing, though a spokesperson said Paul had not placed a formal hold or expressed opposition.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded the DOJ's $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund", winning over GOP holdout senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. The fund had been created to settle Trump's IRS lawsuit. The deal cleared the path for Blanche's Senate Judiciary Committee vote on August 5.
Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are threatening to block Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general, demanding written guarantees about Trump's $1.7 billion anti-weaponization fund and audit protections ahead of Thursday's committee vote.
Senator Thom Tillis said Thursday he will not vote to advance Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unless Blanche meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse before the committee's expected July 30 vote.
President Trump abruptly canceled the Senate confirmation hearing for intelligence nominee Jay Clayton hours before it was scheduled, saying it won't proceed until his Manhattan U.S. Attorney nominee James McDonald is confirmed and linking it to passage of voting restrictions requiring citizenship proof.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday he is nominating Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, for surgeon general after Dr. Casey Means' nomination stalled in the Senate over concerns about her experience and vaccine stance.
The Department of Justice closed its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, passing the matter to the Fed's inspector general. The move clears a potential obstacle for Senate confirmation of crypto-friendly Kevin Warsh as Powell's replacement.
