Amid weeks of Senate GOP infighting to confirm Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, the president is now threatening to postpone the nomination until problem senators are out of office in 2027.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time. 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,” he continued in his social media announcement.
Earlier Thursday, Cornyn’s failed negotiations with the Department of Justice led Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to cancel the Thursday morning committee vote to confirm Blanche as the nation’s chief legal officer.
On Wednesday, the outgoing Texas senator canceled a meeting with Blanche, signaling he is still unsatisfied with the DOJ’s plans for the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and was a no vote on Blanche’s confirmation.
“I haven’t seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I’ve requested,” Cornyn told reporters.
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Grassley needs all GOP Judiciary Committee members on board to move Blanche’s confirmation through committee to a floor vote.
Cornyn’s concerns about the anti-weaponization fund stem from its connection to President Donald Trump. The DOJ created the fund from a lawsuit settlement the Internal Revenue Service made with Trump after it unlawfully published the president’s tax returns.
The fund was originally announced as a way Americans could seek compensation if they had been unfairly targeted by the federal government. However, Cornyn fears the money could be used to funnel taxpayer dollars to Trump allies and friends.
“They know what they [the DOJ] need[s] to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn said.
After canceling the meeting, he sent the DOJ a “red-line strikeout” counteroffer outlining the promises he needs to see regarding the anti-weaponization fund in order to confirm Blanche.
“They claim to be negotiating in good faith, but something’s not working good,” he said, referring to the DOJ. “I don’t know where the problem is. We’ve tried to make it easy for them, and they simply refuse to take our help,” Cornyn concluded.
DOJ officials told reporters they have been in communication with Cornyn’s staff for the past week and were under the impression the agreement met his concerns. However, negotiations were still ongoing as of Thursday morning.
The Republican senator, who lost his primary to Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has more pull than other senators who are running for re-election and need to stay in the party’s good graces.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., while skeptical, sounds less so than Cornyn.
“We’re trying to work just to get the language,” Tillis told reporters. “I really do believe it’s just a drafting exercise. I don’t believe that we’re apart in terms of the objective.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters he thinks the issue is “between the White House and Senators Cornyn and Tillis.”
“I would encourage them to sit down, which I think they are, and try to come to a resolution there so that the markup can continue tomorrow, and we can get Todd Blanche ready for the floor,” Thune continued.
On Wednesday, Trump had seemed unaware of a new problem.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” he told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I’ve heard he’s going through quite nicely.”
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