(AFP) – US President Donald Trump said Thursday he could temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for US attorney general after two Republican senators forced the postponement of a crucial confirmation vote. Trump stated that Blanche, his former personal lawyer and current acting attorney general, could be renominated after Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office in January.
“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 on his website, Truth Social. Blanche would remain acting attorney general in the meantime, Trump said, calling him a “star” with the potential to become one of the greatest holders of the office.
The Senate Judiciary Committee had been due to vote Thursday on advancing Blanche’s nomination, but Republican leaders postponed the meeting after negotiations failed to win over Cornyn and Tillis. Republicans control the panel 12-10, meaning either senator could join unified Democratic opposition and block the nomination from reaching the Senate floor.
The dispute centers on an extraordinary settlement between Trump and the administration he controls over the illegal disclosure of his tax records. The agreement proposed a $1.8 billion fund for people claiming they had been victims of politically motivated prosecutions and offered Trump, his family, and businesses broad protection from tax audits and other government claims.
Blanche has said the so-called anti-weaponization fund will not proceed, but Cornyn and Tillis demanded a formal written commitment preventing its revival and language narrowing the tax protections. Cornyn accused the Justice Department of “stonewalling” his requests, saying officials had “simply refused to cooperate.” The administration says it has provided new language and remains in talks with the senators, leaving open the possibility of rescheduling the vote before the Senate’s August recess.
The settlement has intensified broader concerns that Blanche has acted and would continue to act as Trump’s personal attorney rather than an independent chief law enforcement officer. Before joining the administration, Blanche defended Trump in criminal proceedings. As acting attorney general, he has overseen cases against presidential adversaries while defending legal arrangements favorable to Trump and his allies.
Trump attacked Cornyn and Tillis as politicians whose careers he had ended by refusing to endorse them, while noting both had previously voted to confirm Democrat Merrick Garland as attorney general. Cornyn reposted Trump’s statement on X, adding his own comment that the president “is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.”
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