Donald Trump just dropped a bombshell about his own attorney general pick. The president addressed Todd Blanche’s stalled confirmation with a surprising new strategy that could reshape the DOJ leadership fight.
Donald Trump may temporarily pull Todd Blanche’s nomination
Donald Trump floated temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination on Thursday. Two outgoing Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, continue blocking Blanche’s confirmation vote. Trump refused to endorse both senators, effectively ending their political careers earlier this year.
The president addressed the holdout directly on social media. “Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it!” Trump wrote in his post. He added that he had “no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name” if necessary. Trump also noted Blanche would remain as acting attorney general regardless of the outcome.
Cornyn pushed back against Trump’s framing of the dispute. He demanded the DOJ officially kill the nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” in writing, according to ABC News. Cornyn also wants the scope of Trump’s IRS immunity deal narrowed significantly. The senator insisted concerns about Blanche extend beyond just him and Tillis.
“I don’t know whether they think they can wait us out or we’ll cave,” Cornyn said. He firmly added, “I assure you, we won’t.” The DOJ sent an updated proposal Wednesday night to address the senators’ objections. However, Cornyn said Thursday morning the proposal moved him no closer to supporting Blanche.
Tillis similarly warned the administration against simply waiting out their terms. “Hey, 158 days they can try it again,” Tillis said about the nomination timeline. He suggested Trump was receiving poor advice on how to handle the confirmation process.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its scheduled Thursday vote on Blanche’s nomination. Withdrawing the nomination would carry no practical consequence for DOJ leadership. Blanche can continue serving as acting attorney general under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. That act allows acting officials to serve for 210 days, and the clock resets if a nomination gets withdrawn.
