John Cornyn

The Wednesday meeting Senator John Cornyn planned to have with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who needs the Texas Republican's support to advance to a Thursday confirmation vote, has been canceled.

The two aimed to discuss Cornyn's ultimatum for Blanche's advancement out of the Judiciary Committee, where unanimous Republican approval is required, and to his likely confirmation. Cornyn has demanded written changes to a settlement the Department of Justice entered with President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service in the spring.

It's unclear who called off the meeting, but Cornyn told reporters outside his Capitol Hill office that talks between him and Blanche are unnecessary until the DOJ adjusts its deal, which shields Trump and his two oldest sons from tax audits and creates a $1.8 billion fund for so-called victims of government "weaponization."

"For some reason—I don't know whether it's the staff at the DOJ or who it is, but they simply—they know what they need to do," Cornyn said.

A DOJ official told The National News Desk that the department sent Cornyn a proposal on Tuesday but looks forward to "further discussion around any outstanding concerns."

The senator has taken issue with the scope of the settlement's immunity, which he worries could protect the Trump family even against investigations by government agencies not named in the deal. Blanche testified last month that the agreement applies to only the parties identified in it, but his inability to satisfy Cornyn's demands may delay the Judiciary Committee's vote.

"We've had two meetings scheduled that have now been canceled because they have not been responsive in providing those written documents," the senator said.

Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has given Cornyn a 4 p.m. deadline to decide on Blanche's advancement. Should Cornyn remain uncommitted, Grassley may delay the vote, which could take place after the August recess.

The senator's pushback has frustrated Trump's plans to appoint his former attorney to the country's highest legal position, a once-independent role that has become an arm of the White House. The "anti-weaponization" fund touted by Blanche was widely criticized as a purse for the president's allies, including those prosecuted for their involvement in the January 6th insurrection.

Blanche assumed his role after Trump fired Pam Bondi, whose tenure at the DOJ was defined by her botched pursuits of the president's political enemies and her mishandling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein's criminal case.