President Donald Trump said he had “no objection” to temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office.
The pair, who lost bitterly contested primaries after Trump opted not to back them, have refused to vote for Blanche over concerns that he and the Justice Department have not done enough to kill a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for Trump’s political allies and a deal shielding the president and his businesses from future tax audits.
Trump claimed on Truth Social Thursday that Cornyn and Tillis were withholding their key votes as retaliation for their losses in primary elections earlier this year.
“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.”
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Cornyn suggested on social media after Trump’s post that there were additional lawmakers who also had similar concerns about Trump’s settlement with the IRS that was signed by Blanche. Cornyn’s post did not indicate whether any other concerned parties were also considering voting no on his confirmation.
Cornyn told reporters on Thursday that Trump attributing the stalled vote to an act of revenge was a “convenient excuse, but it’s certainly not true.”
The Texas Republican called off a meeting with Blanche on Wednesday, alleging that the Justice Department was not “responsive” to his requests. Cornyn said he sent the Justice Department line-by-line edits to its proposal on the audit exemption deal and the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that would compensate individuals whom the federal government investigated under the Biden administration.
The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed advancing a vote for Blanche’s confirmation on Wednesday evening, stating that Cornyn and Tillis wanted written assurance from the Justice Department.
Tillis said Thursday he still saw a path forward in the negotiations, but that he did not “understand all of this drama.”
“Everybody’s saying that it’s just a few details to sort out the audit. Well, why on Earth is the president now weighing in and saying no, unless somebody’s told him that maybe you want to keep these vehicles in place because you could use them someday?” Tillis told reporters. “That is a horrible look. You can’t explain it. … If I were running, there’s no way I could excuse this or explain it.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R–South Dakota) said Thursday that the best strategy to confirm Blanche required resolving Cornyn’s and Tillis’ questions.
“I’ll defer to whatever the White House and president decide they want to do,” he said.
Senator Dick Durbin (D–Illinois), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Trump’s threat to pull Blanche’s nomination rather than change the settlement indicated the president was “trying up the pressure” against the duo so that they change their position.
Durbin said he had “no doubt” that concerns about the settlement were more widespread in the Republican Party — but that others were “afraid to say the first word about it.”
“These two senators, like me, are lame ducks, and they have more courage to deal with these issues than their colleagues,” Durbin said.
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