President Trump just made clear that two outgoing Republican senators will not get the final word on who runs his Justice Department.
Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have stalled Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation.
President Trump’s answer is a pressure move that could leave the pair watching from the sidelines.
He says Blanche will remain in charge as acting attorney general. If the senators refuse to move, President Trump is open to pulling the nomination for now and sending it back after both men are gone.
The president laid out the choice himself and made unmistakably clear that he is standing behind Blanche.
🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump confirms he is STANDING BY Todd Blanche, and will NOT be pushed around by Cornyn and Tillis
“Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention.”
“[Blanche] has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time.”
“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.”
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 30, 2026
President Trump is standing by his nominee while warning two lame-duck senators that their leverage has an expiration date.
Trending Politics reports that Cornyn and Tillis refused to support advancing Blanche through the Senate Judiciary Committee, forcing the panel to postpone its vote.
Their objection is not centered on Blanche’s qualifications. The fight is tied to provisions in President Trump’s settlement with the IRS after the unlawful disclosure of his tax returns.
The settlement included a proposed $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund and language limiting future audits involving President Trump, members of his family, and related businesses. The Justice Department later abandoned the fund, but Cornyn and Tillis want a written guarantee that it cannot return and changes to the audit provisions.
Both senators are nearing the end of their time in Washington. Cornyn lost the Republican primary to Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Tillis announced he will retire when his term ends. Both men still hold committee votes today, but neither will have a seat at the table next year.
Axios reports that either Republican holdout can stop the nomination from reaching the full Senate because both sit on the Judiciary Committee and the party has no vote to spare there.
The committee postponed its planned vote Wednesday night after it became clear that Blanche did not have the support needed to advance. President Trump responded by calling Blanche a “STAR” and emphasizing that he will remain acting attorney general regardless of what happens to the nomination.
That distinction matters. Cornyn and Tillis can obstruct Senate confirmation, but they cannot turn their committee maneuver into an immediate removal of Blanche from the Justice Department.
Cornyn fired back Thursday afternoon — and in doing so, he acknowledged that his fight is not really about Blanche.
🚨🚨 @JohnCornyn to us on Blanche:
“[He] may think that he’s got us where he wants us, but the fact is, there’s no guarantee who the new senators are going to be that will replace Senator Tillis and myself, and we may have a weaker hand next year than he does now, and it’s unfortunate because we tried not to escalate this fight because I think Todd Blanche is about as good a nominee as you’re going to get from this administration.”
“So it’s really not about him, and I think you’re very close to resolving our differences in a way that was acceptable to the Department of Justice. But it’s clear that the president decided that was unacceptable. In other words, he’s not willing to fundamentally give up the weaponization fund or the enhanced audit.” @DailyCaller
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) July 30, 2026
That admission cuts through the noise.
Cornyn called Blanche “about as good a nominee as you’re going to get from this administration.” His dispute is with President Trump over the settlement — and he is using Blanche’s confirmation as leverage.
President Trump is now calling that bluff.
The two senators can keep Blanche from receiving a confirmation vote today. They cannot force the president to surrender his preferred attorney general, and they cannot stop the White House from returning to the nomination once their terms end.
There is also a political sting in President Trump’s reminder that Cornyn and Tillis voted to confirm Merrick Garland.
Republican voters watched Garland’s Justice Department target pro-life Americans, parents, and President Trump while the weaponization of federal law enforcement became impossible to ignore. Now two Republicans who helped put Garland in office are blocking the man President Trump chose to clean up that mess.
Blanche’s nomination may be delayed. President Trump’s message is that it will not be dictated by two senators already on their way out.
If Cornyn and Tillis refuse to move, the calendar will.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
