Cornyn cancels meeting with Blanche meant to address concerns
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) canceled a scheduled meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss his concerns about the Trump management’s anti-weaponization fund, which he opposes. Cornyn, who lost his primary to Ken Paxton after President Trump’s intervention, can block Blanche’s nomination and is insisting on concrete commitments rather than verbal assurances before voting. He is demanding confirmation that the anti-weaponization fund will not be reinstated,especially after it’s controversial creation following Trump’s IRS settlement and subsequent backpedaling by the administration. Cornyn has emphasized that he is not willing to approve Blanche’s confirmation without clear, written assurances and resolved conditions. Simultaneously occurring, Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Thom Tillis are also hesitant and have attached conditions related to the fund’s status, which they believe the Justice Department is handling acceptably. The decision from Cornyn and others regarding the nomination hinges on official responses from the Justice Department by a late Wednesday deadline.
Outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) canceled his meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday morning, which was supposed to address his concerns about the Trump administration’s anti-weaponization fund, which he said needs to be killed before he votes to confirm Blanche.
Cornyn lost his primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after the decisive intervention of President Donald Trump, ensuring the embittered Republican would be a thorn in his side for the remainder of his term. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cornyn can single-handedly block Blanche’s nomination from proceeding, and he is staking his vote in favor of killing the anti-weaponization fund and scaling back the president’s audit immunity.
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“They know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn told reporters after the meeting was called off. As it stands, he said he is not prepared to vote for Blanche’s confirmation. Previously, he said he asked for the agreement in writing, which he said has not been delivered.
“We’ve still got we still got what about another five or six hours,” Cornyn said. “That’s plenty of time to resolve this.
“Maybe they think I’m just going to give up or, you know, go along, but they’re mistaken.”
The meeting was set for 10:30 a.m., but the announcement that it was canceled came shortly after.
The anti-weaponization fund was created in the aftermath of Trump’s settlement with the IRS over his leaked confidential tax records. The fund would allow those who say they have been politically persecuted, including Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants, to get money from the government. The announcement of its creation was met with cold reception from Republican lawmakers, and the administration then walked it back. However, Cornyn wants more than a verbal agreement that the plan won’t be revived.
“We don’t need well-wishes or impressions,” Cornyn said about the official agreement to call off the fund. “We need concrete confirmation of what [Blanche] testified to.
“They’ve made good progress, I think, on the 1776 fund, but I think we have some work, and leaving that audited immunity in there, but very narrowly tailored.”
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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, told Cornyn he has to come to a decision by 4 p.m. Wednesday about whether he will let the nomination proceed. Cornyn said he told the Justice Department that it must send a response by the same time, according to Punchbowl News. Blanche’s future is uncertain without an official resolution ending the fund.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), the other Senate Judiciary Committee Republican not beholden to the November elections, is being equally stubborn. He has attached the same conditions to his vote, and said the Justice Department “seems to be OK with” the two conditions.
Molly Parks contributed to this reporting.
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