President Trump just showed two Republican holdouts that they do not get the final word on Todd Blanche.
Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis helped stall Blanche’s confirmation for attorney general after refusing to support him in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
But President Trump now has a direct workaround: keep Blanche in place as acting attorney general, temporarily withdraw the nomination if necessary, and send it back after both senators are gone.
President Trump laid out the plan in his own words Thursday morning:
“Todd Blanche is a STAR,” President Trump declared, predicting that Blanche has the potential to become one of the greatest attorneys general in American history.
He then turned directly to Cornyn and Tillis, noting that he refused to endorse either senator and that both political careers are ending.
The president made clear that their resistance will not remove Blanche from the Justice Department’s top job. Blanche, he said, “will remain, in any event, as Acting.”
And if the two senators continue blocking the nomination, President Trump said he has “no objection” to withdrawing Blanche’s name for now and nominating him again after Cornyn and Tillis leave office.
The maneuver would deny two outgoing senators a permanent veto over the president’s choice to lead the Justice Department.
The Gateway Pundit reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee had been scheduled to vote Thursday morning on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination. Chairman Chuck Grassley postponed the markup after Cornyn and Tillis withheld the support needed to move the nomination forward.
The dispute centers on the proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund connected to the settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit over the illegal leak of his tax returns. Cornyn and Tillis have demanded written assurances from the Justice Department that the fund cannot be revived.
Blanche has said the fund is dead, but the two senators have insisted that the commitment be put in writing. With every Democrat on the committee opposed, one Republican defection is enough to stop the nomination from reaching the full Senate.
Cornyn openly acknowledged Thursday that the confirmation was in serious trouble unless he and Tillis got what they wanted:
Axios reported that President Trump’s withdrawal-and-renomination option would allow Blanche to remain acting attorney general while the White House waits out the two holdouts. Cornyn and Tillis are both expected to leave office in January, creating a new committee and a new confirmation path in 2027.
The immediate committee math explains the pressure. Republicans hold only a one-seat advantage on the Judiciary Committee while Democrats are united against Blanche.
Either Cornyn or Tillis can therefore prevent the nomination from advancing to the Senate floor, even if every other Republican supports President Trump’s nominee.
The timing also makes the August recess important. A continued delay could prevent the full Senate from confirming Blanche before lawmakers leave Washington, stretching the standoff into the fall.
President Trump’s proposal answers that leverage by making clear that Blanche can remain in charge without the permanent title while the White House chooses when to restart the confirmation battle.
The strategy carries political risk because the next Senate will be determined by the midterm elections. But it also puts the pressure back where it belongs: on two outgoing Republicans attempting to dictate personnel terms to a president elected with a clear mandate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee previously highlighted Blanche’s record as acting attorney general and Chairman Grassley’s view that the nominee deserves to advance. Grassley cited Blanche’s work with law enforcement, his focus on public safety, and his leadership at the Justice Department as reasons for moving the nomination forward.
Grassley told the committee that Blanche had already spent months leading the department and working with federal, state, and local law-enforcement partners. The chairman also pointed to support from police organizations, victims’ families, and former Justice Department officials as evidence that Blanche is qualified for the permanent job.
The official committee record shows that Blanche’s nomination was not dropped into the Senate without scrutiny. He faced two days of hearings, answered questions from both parties, and remained the chairman’s choice to advance.
The current roadblock is the refusal of two Republican members to provide the votes needed for the nomination to leave committee.
Blanche has already been doing the job. President Trump’s message is that Cornyn and Tillis can delay the permanent title, but they cannot force him to abandon the man he wants running the Justice Department.
If the senators reverse course, the confirmation can move now.
If they do not, President Trump has made the alternative plain: Blanche stays, the nomination waits, and the fight resumes after the holdouts are out of the way.
Continue reading...
[ H/T WLT Report ]
