President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he could temporarily retract Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, escalating an internal party confrontation with two Senate Republicans whose opposition has stalled the confirmation process. Writing on social media, Trump indicated that Blanche, his former personal defense lawyer currently functioning in an interim capacity, would remain as acting attorney general regardless of whether the Senate moves forward with a formal confirmation vote.
The dispute centers on pushback from Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom have withheld support for the nominee. In his post, Trump praised his appointee, stating, “Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it!” before proposing a procedural delay to circumvent the lawmakers. “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 declared, noting that both senators are slated to exit the Senate next year.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, postponed a scheduled Thursday panel vote to advance Blanche following the deadlock. Cornyn and Tillis have demanded formal written commitments from the Department of Justice regarding the resolution of Trump’s tax lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and the complete dismantling of a proposed $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”. Responding to the president’s comments online, Cornyn cautioned that “POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis”.
Under federal law governing Justice Department vacancies, Blanche can continue serving as acting attorney general without Senate approval, effectively allowing the executive branch to maintain its leadership structure without making legislative concessions. However, political strategists note that deferring the confirmation carries risks for the administration, as upcoming midterm elections could alter the Senate’s current 53-47 Republican majority before Blanche can be renominated.
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