Trump backs Blanche nomination, defends disputed DOJ fund and criticizes Sen. Cornyn
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President Donald Trump urged immediate Senate confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and defended a contested $1.8 billion DOJ fund, while accusing Sen. John Cornyn of personal motives for withholding support.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche should be confirmed without delay and defended a $1.8 billion Justice Department fund that has stalled the nomination. The fund, created under a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service, has been described by the department as abandoned, and Blanche has called it “dead.”
Trump posted on social media that the money was intended to compensate people whose lives were “unfairly and illegally destroyed” by the Biden administration, adding that it did not benefit him personally. He suggested that Sen. John Cornyn’s opposition to Blanche stems from a personal grievance, noting Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas primary.
“I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them,” Trump said.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem,” the president said from the Oval Office.
Cornyn denied that Trump’s endorsement influenced his stance and said withdrawing the nomination would not resolve the issue. He called for a written assurance that the fund would not be revived and emphasized the need for a Senate-confirmed attorney general.
“I think the DOJ needs a Senate-confirmed attorney general, and Todd Blanche is probably about as good as we’re going to get… They need to put that in writing so it’s enforceable,” Cornyn said.