Topline
President Donald Trump suggested Thursday he could temporarily pull Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general until the next Congressional term, as Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have held up the confirmation vote by demanding changes to Trump’s settlement agreement with the IRS—but both senators are due to soon leave the Senate.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is seen after leaving a meeting on Capitol Hill on July 29 in Washington, DC.
Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump responded on Truth Social to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s planned vote on Blanche, which was set for Thursday, getting postponed amid continued objections from Cornyn and Tillis.
Cornyn and Tillis—who will both leave the Senate at the end of this term—have so far refused to vote for Blanche until the DOJ modifies its settlement with Trump in his lawsuit against the IRS, which established a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and shielded the president and his affiliates from some legal liability.
Blanche’s nomination won’t be able to move forward if even one Republican on the committee opposes him, making Cornyn and Tillis’ support critical.
Trump said Thursday that Blanche “is a STAR” and criticized Cornyn and Tillis for opposing him, pointing out their “political careers have been ended by my action” after he failed to endorse them for reelection.
Rather than giving in to the senators’ demands on the IRS agreement, Trump said he has “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.”
Blanche can continue to serve as acting attorney general without being confirmed to the position permanently, but Trump’s strategy of confirming Blanche in the next Congressional term could face issues if Democrats were to regain control of the Senate in the midterm elections.
This story is breaking and will be updated.