Trump threatens to withdraw Blanche nomination until GOP senators leave office

President Trump said Thursday he would consider withdrawing Todd Blanche's Attorney General nomination if two Republican senators do not agree to constraints on a controversial fund tied to his personal tax settlement.

In posts on Truth Social, Trump stated he has "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," referring to Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Trump also said he "refused to Endorse" both senators and claimed his action had ended their "political careers." According to CBS News, Trump also praised Blanche on the platform, writing that he is "a STAR" with "potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time."

The threat came as the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a hearing on Blanche's nomination after Cornyn and Tillis withheld support. Both senators are concerned about an "anti-weaponization fund" mentioned in Trump's personal IRS settlement agreement. Cornyn demanded in writing that the Justice Department and Blanche commit the fund will not be reinstated and sought changes to the settlement agreement itself, per CBS News reporting. Cornyn told CBS News Thursday he is "not prepared to vote yes on Blanche without an agreement on the anti-weaponization fund."

On Thursday, Cornyn said he received an updated offer from the Justice Department on Wednesday night and sent back a counter proposal, according to CBS News. Cornyn also said he is getting pushback from "higher ups" at the White House. When asked about Trump's threat, Cornyn told CBS News that the president's bet to wait for his departure is "a gamble," noting that "nobody knows what's going to happen in the November election, and he may have less Republicans to vote on confirmation next year."

In a post on X Thursday, Cornyn countered that "POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis." Senator Thom Tillis expressed more optimism about reaching a resolution but told CBS News that someone at the White House is "giving the president bad advice," saying "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."

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, another outgoing Republican, told CBS News that "Todd Blanche cannot give commitments that Cornyn and Tillis want." When asked if he would support Blanche if the vote happened immediately, Cassidy said he remained "in the information gathering stage."

According to Trump's statement, Blanche's nomination will remain active as Acting Attorney General regardless of any withdrawal from formal consideration, per CBS News.