Trump floats withdrawing Todd Blanche’s AG nomination
President Donald Trump has urged two Republican senators, John Cornyn from Texas and Thom tillis from North Carolina, to support his nominee for attorney general, Todd blanche. Trump described Blanche as a “star” and threatened to renominate him next year if the senators continue to block his appointment. Trump criticized their previous votes for Merrick Garland and expressed frustration over delays caused by higher-ups in the White House. Cornyn, a key swing vote, has postponed the confirmation vote due to ongoing negotiations over a May settlement that provides the president with immunity from tax audits and establishes an “anti-weaponization” fund, which has faced resistance.Cornyn and Tillis are demanding written commitments from the White House regarding these issues before they will support Blanche’s confirmation. The deadlock has made it unlikely that Blanche will be confirmed before the Senate’s August recess. The situation is complicated by political dynamics, including Cornyn’s recent loss in a primary to a Trump-backed candidate and Tillis’s announced retirement. the nomination remains stalled amid negotiations and political tensions.
President Donald Trump urged two Republican holdouts to do the “right thing” and stop blocking his nominee for attorney general, threatening on Thursday to renominate Todd Blanche next year, when both will have retired from office.
Trump said on Truth Social that Blanche, who once served as his personal lawyer, was a “star” and the opposition of Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) would not deter him from being installed as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
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“He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time,” Trump wrote. “However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting.”
“Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention,” Trump added. “I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.”
Earlier in the day, Cornyn laid blame for a delay in Blanche’s nomination at the feet of the White House, naming the “higher ups” there for a postponed committee vote.
“I thought we were pretty close to landing the plane last night, but this morning, there’s been some more complications,” he told CNN. “I think if this were just between me and Todd Blanche, we would have worked this out. But apparently he’s getting some pushback from higher ups at the White House. I don’t know who, but this doesn’t need to be this hard.”
Cornyn, a swing vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is leading negotiations to limit a May settlement that gave the president immunity from tax audits and created an “anti-weaponization” fund whose proposed payouts to Jan. 6 defendants sparked fierce pushback on Capitol Hill.
Blanche, who became acting attorney general in April, has since testified that the anti-weaponization fund is dead and that the tax immunity for the president wasn’t sweeping. Cornyn wants those commitments in writing, however, and has delayed a vote on Blanche’s nomination in the meantime.
He is backed by Tillis, a retiring Republican who has committed to vote in lockstep with Cornyn to extract concessions from the White House. Tillis also sits on the Judiciary Committee, which postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination on Wednesday night.
“I don’t know whether they think they can wait us out or we’ll cave, but I assure you, we won’t,” Cornyn told reporters on Thursday morning.
Cornyn denies that his opposition is motivated by political revenge, although he has become a less reliable Senate vote for Republicans since losing his May primary to Trump-backed challenger Ken Paxton. Tillis, a long-time centrist, announced his retirement shortly after the president attacked him publicly for voting “no” on the big, beautiful bill last year.
SENATE PANEL DELAYS CRITICAL VOTE TO ADVANCE BLANCHE ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINATION
The standoff means it is becoming less likely Blanche will be confirmed before senators are expected to leave for the August recess.
Cornyn’s staff has been trading language to narrow the scope of the May settlement, with the Justice Department submitting its latest response to his office on Wednesday night.
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