Trump says he may withdraw AG nominee Blanche until two GOP senators leave office

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would consider temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general if Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina do not step aside, adding the nomination could be reinstated after the two 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 Truth Social.

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Blanche after Cornyn and Tillis signaled they would not support him, citing concerns about the Justice Department’s settlement with the Internal Revenue Service that followed a leak of Trump’s tax returns. The settlement created a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and included audit-protection provisions for Trump and his family, which the senators want formalized in writing and narrowed in scope.

Cornyn responded on X that Trump was mistaken in thinking the concerns were limited to him and Tillis. Tillis called the president’s proposal “politically tone-deaf,” saying it would give journalists and Democrats material to use before the election. He added that Trump could "roll the dice" on the confirmation process once the two senators are out of office.

Both senators said they believe Blanche is negotiating in good faith but that higher-level obstacles are preventing a resolution. Cornyn suggested the Justice Department was reluctant to amend the settlement documents, proposing instead additional paperwork to bind Blanche to his testimony before the committee. A senior White House official said the senators have been accused of moving goalposts and cancelling meetings with the department.

Cornyn lost his primary to Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Tillis, who has frequently clashed with Trump, is set to retire at the end of his term. Trump claimed credit for the senators’ departures, stating their political careers have been ended by his action.