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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration's priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.
The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators -- John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina -- who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president's leaked tax returns.
Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche's nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn't moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.