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Todd Blanche Nomination: Trump Willing to Wait Out Senate Opposition to His Attorney General Pick
US President Donald Trump and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
President Trump said Thursday that he would not object to pulling back Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general on a temporary basis, keeping it on hold until two Republican senators who have blocked his confirmation leave office next January. The president's comments were aimed squarely at Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, both of whom have raised objections that have stalled Blanche's path to confirmation. Trump framed backing off the nomination for now as simply doing what he called the right thing, given the resistance from the two lawmakers.
Neither senator will be in the Senate much longer. Cornyn lost his primary earlier this year to Ken Paxton, the current Texas attorney general who ran with Trump's backing. Tillis, meanwhile, decided not to run for another term.
Trump praised Blanche in strong terms, calling his former personal attorney turned Justice Department official a star and confirming that Blanche would keep serving in an acting capacity no matter what happens with the formal nomination.
What Sparked the Standoff
At the center of the dispute is a controversial 1.8 billion dollar fund that critics have labeled an anti-weaponization fund. The fund grew out of a settlement between Trump and the IRS that has drawn heavy scrutiny. Cornyn had asked for a written guarantee that the fund was permanently off the table before he would support Blanche's nomination.
Both Tillis and Cornyn sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving either of them the power to block Blanche's nomination from ever reaching a full Senate vote. That committee postponed a planned vote on the nomination Wednesday night because of their continued opposition.
Blanche Keeps His Power Either Way
Even if Trump does pull the nomination for now, it would not strip Blanche of authority. He has been serving as acting attorney general since the spring and would continue to hold the full powers of the role in that capacity regardless of what happens with his formal confirmation.
Cornyn Pushes Back
Cornyn responded publicly on X, pushing back on the idea that he and Tillis are alone in their concerns. He suggested that worries about the tax settlement extend well beyond the two of them within the party.
During Blanche's confirmation hearing earlier this month, Cornyn had pressed him on whether any written agreement existed to change the terms of the IRS settlement fund. Blanche responded at the time that the plan was simply not moving forward.
The concerns raised by Cornyn are not without basis. The settlement has already thrown a wrench into other Republican legislative priorities and drew criticism from a federal judge. Opponents have described the fund as a political slush fund that could end up benefiting people convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot. The administration ultimately dropped the fund after a federal judge blocked its money from being distributed.
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Sagar Kar author
Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Sw... View More
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