President Donald Trump suggested Thursday he might temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general to circumvent resistance from Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. In a post on Truth Social, Trump proposed leaving Blanche as acting attorney general for five months and then resubmitting his name after Cornyn and Tillis depart Congress in early January.
Blanche, currently serving as deputy attorney general, has been praised by Trump as a potential historic attorney general. However, Cornyn and Tillis have withheld support due to unresolved concerns over a $1.8 billion fund established as part of Trump's settlement with the Justice Department and the IRS. The senators worry the fund, described as an “anti-weaponization” mechanism, could be revived, despite Blanche's testimony that it is effectively dead.
Trump's strategy carries risks. If Republicans lose control of the Senate in the 2026 midterms or their majority shrinks, Blanche's confirmation could become uncertain. Tillis warned that holding the nomination until next year might backfire if the political landscape shifts. “He’s perfectly entitled to do that, he just needs to game out what the numbers look like,” Tillis said, emphasizing that confirmations now are possible if the fund issue is resolved.
Cornyn, who lost his GOP primary to a Trump-backed challenger, and Tillis, who announced his retirement, have pressed for written assurances from the Justice Department that the fund will never be implemented. The Texas senator received proposed language from the DOJ late Wednesday but found it unsatisfactory. He countered with his own language Thursday morning, but no deal was reached. Cornyn indicated the White House is resisting changes. “Basically I get the sense that Todd Blanche is not the problem, it’s other folks at the White House who are resistant to any changes,” he told The Hill.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley postponed a scheduled vote on Blanche's nomination Thursday after Cornyn and Tillis threatened to block it or skip the meeting. Cornyn set a potential path forward: if the dispute over the settlement is resolved, the nomination could advance next week. Otherwise, he warned it could drag until September or later. “If they want a fully confirmed attorney general, they’re going to have to move,” he said.
Trump's suggestion to leave Blanche as acting attorney general for an extended period highlights the deepening standoff. Tillis voiced suspicion that someone in the White House is advising Trump to keep the fund intact. “It tells me that somebody is telling the president he wants to keep this vehicle in place,” Tillis said, calling it “horrible policy and horrible politics.”
The fight underscores broader tensions within the GOP as Trump navigates Senate opposition. For more on the dynamics at play, see GOP defections threatening Blanche's AG bid. Meanwhile, Cornyn remains firm, posting on X that the president is mistaken if he thinks concerns are limited to just two senators.
As the standoff continues, Blanche's fate hinges on whether the White House can satisfy the senators' demands. For now, the nomination remains in limbo, with Trump's unconventional approach adding another layer of uncertainty.
