Trump Threatens to Undermine Senate Oversight by Withdrawing Blanche AG Nomination
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President Trump signaled he may sidestep Senate scrutiny by pausing Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination, keeping him as acting AG, as two Republican senators resist a Justice Department settlement that shields Trump and his allies.
President Donald Trump on Thursday brazenly announced he was willing to temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, circumventing the Senate’s constitutional role, while keeping Blanche in place as acting attorney general and threatening to renominate him later. This maneuver comes as Republican Senators John Cornell of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have courageously withheld their support, raising alarms about a Justice Department agreement that ends the president’s IRS lawsuit in a way that benefits Trump and his inner circle.
The controversial settlement establishes a $1.8 billion fund to compensate individuals who allege they were unfairly targeted by the government, but more troublingly, it includes a sweeping immunity provision for Trump, his family, and his businesses from audits of past tax returns—effectively placing them above the law. Cornell and Tillis have demanded written assurances clarifying the scope of this immunity deal, but the department has stonewalled their requests.
"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 in a social-media post, openly threatening to bypass democratic checks once his critics are gone.
Both senators are set to leave Congress in January; Tillis announced his retirement last year, and Cornell lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, highlighting Trump’s grip on the Republican Party. In response, Cornell posted that the president is mistaken if he believes the concerns are limited to him and Tillis, signaling broader unease about Trump’s abuse of power.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, has postponed the vote on Blanche’s nomination as officials scramble to secure enough support. Democrats have unanimously opposed the nomination, while most Republicans, in a disturbing show of party loyalty, have expressed support.