Two Republican senators have emerged as the central obstacle to Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general, throwing a significant wrench into the Trump administration’s plans.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a scheduled vote on Blanche’s nomination late Wednesday night after it became clear Republicans lacked sufficient support to advance it.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both departing Congress at the end of the year, are withholding their support for the nomination until their demands are met.
The two senators are calling on Blanche to formally dismantle a so-called anti-weaponization fund created as part of a Trump IRS settlement, which carries a price tag of nearly $1.8 billion.
Cornyn and Tillis are also demanding that the scope of IRS audit immunity afforded to Trump, his family, his businesses, and others under the settlement agreement be significantly narrowed.
Tillis has separately raised concerns about Blanche’s handling of matters related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, adding another layer of scrutiny to the nomination.
Trump has suggested that Cornyn’s resistance is rooted in political revenge, given that Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race and Paxton easily defeated Cornyn in the Republican primary.
Cornyn pushed back forcefully on that characterization, calling Trump’s suggestion “a convenient excuse” that was untrue, and posting that “POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, writing that 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.”
One senator suggested the two holdouts are benefiting from the political freedom that comes with lame-duck status, stating, “I have no doubt that many Republican senators agree with Cornyn and with Tillis, and they’ve been afraid to say the first word about it.”
That same senator added, “These two senators, like me, are lame ducks, and they have more courage to deal with these issues than their colleagues,” suggesting broader unease within the Republican caucus.
Trump’s strategy of waiting out Cornyn and Tillis carries real political risk, as Democrats stand a viable chance of recapturing the Senate given the current electoral map and the president’s approval ratings.
A Democratic Senate majority would make any future Blanche renomination far more difficult, potentially leaving the attorney general’s seat in a protracted confirmation battle well into the new congressional term.
