President Trump is signaling he may sidestep a growing Senate roadblock by shelving Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination until two Republican critics are no longer in office.
The president floated the idea Thursday after Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refused to support advancing Blanche’s nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee, preventing the panel from moving the nomination forward.
“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 said in a Truth Social post.
The dispute isn’t centered on Blanche himself. Instead, Cornyn and Tillis have objected to provisions contained in Trump’s settlement with the IRS over the unlawful disclosure of his tax returns, arguing changes are needed before they will support the nomination.
The settlement originally included a proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and provisions limiting future IRS audits involving Trump, members of his family and related businesses. Although the Justice Department has since abandoned the proposed fund, the two senators have demanded written assurances that it cannot be revived and are also seeking revisions to the audit language.
Cornyn pushed back after Trump’s remarks, suggesting the concerns extend beyond the two senators.
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“POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,” the Texas senator wrote.
Trump, meanwhile, praised Blanche as a “STAR” who “has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time.”
The president also took aim at both senators’ political futures, arguing that neither holds leverage over his administration.
In the same Truth Social post, Trump said he declined to endorse either lawmaker and claimed their “political careers have been ended by my action.”
Cornyn was defeated in this year’s Republican primary by Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, while Tillis opted not to seek another Senate term, meaning both are on track to leave office after their current terms conclude.
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