President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to withdraw his attorney general nominee Todd Blanche temporarily, escalating a standoff with Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis that has thrown the nomination into doubt.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump criticized Cornyn of Texas and Tillis of North Carolina for refusing to support Blanche, who currently serves as acting attorney general. Trump suggested he might pull the nomination and renominate Blanche next year after both senators leave office.
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 wrote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination on Wednesday, a major stumbling block for the president’s pick to lead the Department of Justice. All Republicans on the committee would need to vote for Blanche to advance his nomination to the full chamber.
Cornyn and Tillis have raised concerns about Blanche’s involvement in a controversial legal settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. The deal included provisions that shielded Trump and his family from future tax investigations and created an anti-weaponization fund whose proposed payouts drew sharp criticism on Capitol Hill.
During previous Senate hearings, Blanche maintained that the anti-weaponization plan was discontinued and that the tax immunity for the president was not sweeping. A federal judge has also ruled aspects of the settlement illegal. But critics said they have not received sufficient guarantees that the plan could not be resurrected.
Cornyn accused the Justice Department of stonewalling further requests for information, telling reporters the ball is in Blanche’s court. Tillis, a retiring Republican, has committed to voting in lockstep with Cornyn to extract concessions from the White House.
The standoff means it is becoming less likely Blanche will be confirmed before senators leave for the August recess. Cornyn denied that his opposition is motivated by political revenge, although he has become a less reliable Senate vote for Republicans since losing his May primary to Trump-backed challenger Ken Paxton.
Blanche, who became acting attorney general in April after serving as Trump’s personal lawyer, has testified before Congress that the anti-weaponization fund is dead. Cornyn wants those commitments in writing and has delayed the vote in the meantime.
Trump noted that both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, former President Biden’s attorney general, questioning their objections to his nominee. The standoff could set back Trump’s efforts to install a permanent head of the Justice Department amid ongoing legal battles and national security challenges.
Source: Al Jazeera | Washington Examiner | NPR
Author: Pulse Of Nations Wire Desk
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