President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general and wait for two Republican holdouts to leave Washington before trying again.
The extraordinary maneuver would allow Blanche to remain acting attorney general while Trump attempts to outlast Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose opposition forced Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to postpone Thursday’s scheduled vote.
“Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time.”
Trump then turned his fire on Cornyn and Tillis, accusing the departing senators of blocking a nominee they know is qualified.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he added.
Tillis announced last year that he would not seek reelection, while Cornyn lost the Texas Republican primary to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received Trump’s endorsement.
Trump had already suggested Wednesday that Cornyn’s resistance could be rooted in lingering resentment over the primary.
“He’s outstanding,” Trump told reporters when asked about Blanche’s nomination. “Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” according to The Associated Press.
Cornyn laughed off that suggestion, calling it “a convenient excuse” for the administration’s failure to cooperate with the Judiciary Committee, ABC News reported.
The standoff centers on a controversial settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of his tax returns.
That agreement created a proposed $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate people who claim they were targeted by the federal government. It also included protections shielding Trump, members of his family and affiliated businesses from certain tax audits.
The Justice Department announced in June that it would no longer move forward with the fund after bipartisan backlash. Blanche also testified at his July 15 confirmation hearing that the fund was “dead.”
Cornyn and Tillis, however, want those assurances put in writing and the settlement language amended so the fund cannot be revived later. Cornyn also wants confirmation that Trump will not receive immunity from audits of future tax returns.
“We want to make sure that it remains dead, and that the president isn’t given any immunity from future audits that the ordinary taxpayer would not enjoy,” Cornyn told CBS News Thursday.
Cornyn said the Justice Department sent him proposed language Wednesday night, but he found it inadequate and responded with a counterproposal Thursday morning. He blamed “higher ups” at the White House for resisting the changes.
“Basically I get the sense that Todd Blanche is not the problem, it’s other folks at the White House who are resistant to any changes, any additional documentation,” Cornyn told The Hill. “But they need to make a fundamental decision whether they want him confirmed or not.”
Tillis similarly suggested that an unnamed White House adviser may be urging Trump to preserve the fund as an option.
“The only reason why we wouldn’t move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point,” Tillis told CBS News.
“That is horrible policy and it’s horrible politics,” he told The Hill.
Tillis acknowledged that Trump is “perfectly entitled” to hold Blanche’s nomination until January but warned the strategy could backfire if Republicans lose Senate seats—or control of the chamber—in November.
Cornyn also disputed Trump’s portrayal of the fight as a two-senator rebellion.
“POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,” Cornyn wrote on X.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., another outgoing Republican, declined Thursday to say whether he would support Blanche if the nomination came up for a vote, telling CBS News he was still gathering information.
For now, Blanche can continue overseeing the Justice Department in an acting capacity because he was previously confirmed as deputy attorney general. The White House has also highlighted support for his nomination from major law enforcement organizations, Republican state attorneys general and former Attorney General William Barr. The administration called Blanche a proven leader committed to fighting violent crime, fraud and transnational gangs.
Cornyn said Blanche’s nomination could advance as soon as next week if the administration agrees to clarify the settlement. Otherwise, the confirmation fight could stretch into September—or Trump could carry out his threat
