Trump Suggests Pulling His Own Nominee Amid Bitter GOP Standoff
President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to temporarily withdraw Todd Blancheโs 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 Thursdayโs scheduled vote.
โTodd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it!โ Trump wrote on Truth Social. โHe has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time.โ
Trump then turned his fire on Cornyn and Tillis, accusing the departing senators of blocking a nominee they know is qualified.
โJohn 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,โ Trump wrote.
โI have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Toddโs name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office,โ 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 Trumpโs endorsement.
Trump had already suggested Wednesday that Cornynโs resistance could be rooted in lingering resentment over the primary.
โHeโs outstanding,โ Trump told reporters when asked about Blancheโs nomination. โMaybe John Cornynโs upset with me because I didnโt endorse him,โ according to The Associated Press.
Cornyn laughed off that suggestion, calling it โa convenient excuseโ for the administrationโs failure to cooperate with the Judiciary Committee, ABC News reported.
The standoff centers on a controversial settlement of Trumpโs $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of his tax returns.
That agreement created a proposed $1.776 billion โAnti-Weaponization Fundโ 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 โdead.โ
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.
โWe want to make sure that it remains dead, and that the president isnโt given any immunity from future audits that the ordinary taxpayer would not enjoy,โ 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 โhigher upsโ at the White House for resisting the changes.
โBasically I get the sense that Todd Blanche is not the problem, itโs other folks at the White House who are resistant to any changes, any additional documentation,โ Cornyn told The Hill. โBut they need to make a fundamental decision whether they want him confirmed or not.โ
Tillis similarly suggested that an unnamed White House adviser may be urging Trump to preserve the fund as an option.
โThe only reason why we wouldnโt move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point,โ Tillis told CBS News.
โThat is horrible policy and itโs horrible politics,โ he told The Hill.
Tillis acknowledged that Trump is โperfectly entitledโ to hold Blancheโs nomination until January but warned the strategy could backfire if Republicans lose Senate seatsโor control of the chamberโin November.
Cornyn also disputed Trumpโs portrayal of the fight as a two-senator rebellion.
โPOTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,โ 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 Blancheโs nomination could advance as soon as next week if the administration agrees to clarify the settlement. Otherwise, the confirmation fight could stretch into Septemberโor Trump could carry out his threat













Will Trump Take Back Our Panama Canal? Cruz Blows Whistle On Communist Chinese Control
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz met with Panamanian officials about growing Communist Chinese influence over the Panama Canal, a crucial artery for global trade that was built and once controlled by the United States, until it was given away by liberal the-President Jimmy Carter.
Cruz announced in a statement he โrecently traveled to Panama and underscored the Panama Canalโs strategic importance to the United States.โ
Cruz reports he โmet with top Panamanian officials, including the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman; Minister of Public Security, Frank Abrego; and Panama Canal Authority Administrator, Ricaurte Vรกsquez Morales. During these meetings, Sen. Cruz reiterated the growing threats posed by China and other foreign actors seeking to exert influence over the region, threatening both American and Panamanian national and economic security.โ
โThe Senate Commerce Committee has primary jurisdiction over the Panama Canal due to its role in the facilitation of global trade and U.S. commerce,โ Cruz notes.
โThere is undoubtedly a strong Chinese presence, and I believe a threat to the canal. The purpose of my visit is number one, to try to strengthen the longtime friendship and alliance between the United States and Panama. And number two, I’m the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which, among other things, has jurisdiction over the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal is vital, both to national security and economic security of the United States and Panama,โ said Cruz.
Cruz summarized the long-brewing issue of Communist Chinese control of the Panama Canal and its threat to the United States, writing:
Previously, Sen. Cruz convened a Senate Commerce Committee hearing to examine the growing number of challenges facing the maritime industry in the region due to capacity limitations and increased transit fees. Sen. Cruz sounded alarms over Chinaโs growing foothold in Panama, which poses a direct threat to U.S. trade. China has exploited Panamaโs institutional weakness to evade U.S. sanctions and has taken controlling stakes in critical infrastructure surrounding the Panama Canal. During the hearing, multiple senators raised concerns about Panamaโs management of the canal, citing allegations of corruption, suggesting that they may be violating the Neutrality Treaty.
One week after the hearing, a preliminary deal was announced that would give an American company primary control of Port Balboa and Port Cristobal, which are container ports on either end of the canal. However, the deal has faced delay amid pressure from China seeking to secure a stake in the deal, stalling progress to protect both American and Panamanian interests.
Sen. Cruz concluded, โChina is not America’s friend, and China is not Panama’s friend, and if God forbid, a military conflict emerges between the United States and China, I believe there is an unacceptable risk that China would act to shut down the Panama Canal, which would have a devastating impact on the United States and an even worse impact on Panamaโฆ
โThere is strong American interest in expanding and improving commerce and transportation through the Panama Canal. The United States built the Panama Canal more than a century ago and our nations have been close friends for a long, long time. The economies of both the United States and Panama benefit enormously from the Panama Canal, and there are strong American interests in investing in ports on both ends of the Panama Canal and assisting in new infrastructure, whether it is gas pipelines to transport gas from one end to the other, or whether it is building a new reservoir and expanding the ability to ensure there’s