Trump threatens to withdraw Blanche nomination until dissenting senators leave office

President Trump said Thursday he would temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination if Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina do not support his confirmation, betting that new senators from those states after they leave office will vote differently on the nomination.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called Blanche "a STAR" with the potential to become "one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time," but accused Cornyn and Tillis of refusing to support him. Trump wrote: "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."

The nomination standoff centers on disagreement over Trump's personal IRS settlement agreement, specifically a provision called the anti-weaponization fund. Cornyn has demanded that the Justice Department and Blanche formally commit in writing that the fund will not be revived. According to CBS News reporting, Cornyn said he is not prepared to vote yes without an agreement on the settlement terms. On Thursday, Cornyn received an updated offer from the Justice Department Wednesday night and sent back a counter-proposal.

Cornyn told CBS News: "We want to make sure that it remains dead, and that the president isn't given any immunity from future audits that the ordinary taxpayer would not enjoy." The senator posted on X Thursday that Trump is mistaken if he believes concerns about the settlement provisions are limited to him and Tillis, suggesting broader Republican unease with the arrangement.

Tillis also expressed concern about the fund, saying someone at the White House is "giving the president bad advice" on the issue and stating: "The only reason why we wouldn't move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point."

The Senate Judiciary Committee was set to vote on advancing Blanche's nomination Thursday but delayed the hearing late Wednesday. Trump's statement that Blanche will remain acting attorney general despite the nomination holdup means the Justice Department will continue operating under him during the dispute.

Other Republican senators have taken varying positions. GOP Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, another outgoing Republican, said Blanche "cannot give commitments that Cornyn and Tillis want." When asked by CBS News whether he would support Blanche if the vote happened today, Cassidy said he was still "in the information gathering stage."

Cornyn noted that Trump's bet to delay the nomination is a gamble, pointing out that after the midterms, "who knows who's going to be the next United States senator from North Carolina or Texas." Tillis appeared more optimistic than Cornyn about the possibility of resolving the dispute, according to CBS News reporting.