Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.
A Senate committee vote on Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general has been postponed
after two key Republicans, Senators John Cornyn and Tom Tillis, threatened to derail it over the deal Blanche
made to settle President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
The deal prevents the government from auditing Trump, his family, or their businesses.
Cornyn says he's still waiting for proof the fund had been canceled and the IRS deal with Trump revised.
I think they realize now that we're serious,
and I think Senator Tillis is pretty much on the same page that I am,
so they better get real, and there's not much time left.
Cornyn says he sent the Justice Department the exact language he wants,
but that they couldn't come to an agreement in time for another nomination vote this morning.
Cornyn's support is critical to Blanche's nomination.
Former FBI Director James Comey is asking a judge to throw out threats against him as a vindictive prosecution.
And here's Kerry Johnson reports, Comey says he's being singled out because he criticizes President Trump.
Lawyers for Comey say the Justice Department moved to indict him to make the president happy.
Comey says his 8647 Instagram post of seashells on the beach was not advocating violence against Trump.
Rather, he says it was protected political speech.
In new court papers, Comey says the Secret Service surveilled him last year,
even though agents doubted there was a legal basis to do so.
He says DOJ relied on an unreliable source long estranged from Comey to build the criminal threat case against him.