NYT > U.S. > Politics

Senators Cornyn and Tillis Force Delay of Blanche Nomination Over Trump’s IRS Deal

3 hours agoCenter Left

John Cornyn and Thom Tillis accused the nominee for attorney general of refusing to put on paper his promise to kill aspects of the deal he cut to settle President Trump’s suit against the agency.

Read Full Story at Source

Compare Perspectives

Found 8 stories

What Trump’s record border numbers are hiding

Washington Examiner

19 minutes ago

What Trump’s record border numbers are hiding

Southwest Border Patrol apprehensions in January 2026 were 79% lower than in the same month a year earlier, while total encounters at and between ports of entry along that border fell 84%. By April, Border Patrol was averaging 298 apprehensions per day. Those are substantial changes. They are also enforcement outputs rather than complete measures […]

Center Right

Read →

Trump says he 'may' pull Blanche AG nomination temporarily

NPR Topics: News

48 minutes ago

Trump says he 'may' pull Blanche AG nomination temporarily

The news comes as two key Republicans are withholding their support over concerns about the Justice Department's deal with President Trump.

Center

Read →

Why Trump is no longer targeting Iranian regime change

Washington Examiner

56 minutes ago

Why Trump is no longer targeting Iranian regime change

President Donald Trump began the war with Iran to end the Islamic Republic, which rules that country. Rightly, however, Trump is no longer pursuing that grand objective. Instead, the president is using force to pressure Iran to return to the negotiating table in good faith. This reduced ambition is sensible. But it does not mean […]

Center Right

Read →

Trump says he's open to delaying Blanche nomination over GOP defectors

Axios

1 hour ago

Trump says he's open to delaying Blanche nomination over GOP defectors

President Trump said Thursday that he would have "no objection" to temporarily withdrawing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination until his Republican opponents are out of office next January.The big picture: Trump's threat, directed at GOP Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas), puts Blanche's critics on notice to what the president deemed "the right thing" after their concerns stalled his nomination.Driving the news: "Todd Blanche is a STAR," Trump wrote of his former personal attorney turned Justice Department loyalist.He added that Blanche would "remain, in any event, as Acting."Cornyn had demanded a written guarantee that the administration's controversial "anti-weaponization fund" was dead.What they're saying: "POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis," Cornyn, who has broken from the president since losing his re-election primary bid to a Trump-backed challenger, quickly responded in a post on X.Reality check: Even if the president withdrew his name, Blanche could retain the vast power of the nation's chief law enforcement officer in an acting capacity, as he has since this spring.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Center Left

Read →

GOP senator snaps at 'mistaken' Trump as Todd Blanche turmoil heats up

Raw Story

1 hour ago

GOP senator snaps at 'mistaken' Trump as Todd Blanche turmoil heats up

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) fired back at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying opposition to his IRS tax settlement runs far deeper than just two senators.At 11:15 AM, Trump wrote on Truth Social that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was "a STAR" with the potential to be "one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time."He blamed Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — "both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action" — for blocking the confirmation.Just seven minutes after Trump backed down, Cornyn rubbed salt in the wound by responding to Trump on X."POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis," Cornyn wrote on X.The standoff forced the Senate Judiciary Committee to scrap a scheduled Thursday vote on Blanche's nomination, a setback for one of Trump's top Cabinet picks, MS NOW reported."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," Trump wrote on Truth Social, threatening to pull the nomination entirely and resubmit it once both senators leave office.Earlier Wednesday, before Trump's post, Cornyn and Tillis had told Politico that someone inside the White House — not Trump himself — was blocking a deal."I don't know who it is — I'm just trying to get them out of the way so we can get the president his AG," Tillis said."If this were just between me and Todd Blanche, we would have worked this out, but, apparently, he's getting some pushback from higher ups at the White House," Cornyn said, adding that he did not know who was responsible. "I don't know who, but it doesn't need to be this hard.""Why don't you call over the DOJ and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for," Cornyn told reporters Wednesday afternoon, as negotiations with the Department of Justice dragged on, MS NOW reported."What I've advised the chair, and I would assume Senator Cornyn said something similar, is that we're not prepared to vote yes yet," Tillis said Wednesday night, confirming neither senator had moved.

Far Left

Read →

'Begging!' Cornyn-bashing panel erupts in laughter at standout Republican's 'courage'

Raw Story

1 hour ago

'Begging!' Cornyn-bashing panel erupts in laughter at standout Republican's 'courage'

Sen. John Cornyn’s demands of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche provoked roaring laughter on MS NOW on Thursday morning.A fit of giggles overtook the “Money Power Politics” panel as they tried to discuss Republican senators balking on Blanche — and whether or not he should replace Pam Bondi.“By the way, just to go back to [Texas Senator] John Cornyn and [North Carolina Republican] Thom Tillis, and they're not exactly profiles in courage” Ayman Mohyeldin said. That led to host Stephanie Ruhle to cover her face with her notes as she burst into laughter.Contributor Pablo Torre had set up Mohyeldin with a comment.“All of the economic corruption, the abuse persists because it's not being regulated by someone like an attorney general," Torre said. "And so the question of, do you want this system to keep spinning? This is a moment in which people have the opportunity to say, we should all get out of the car.”A now laughing Mohyeldin continued, “When you kind of nail this story down to what it's about, they're asking Todd Blanche in the Department of Justice to put in writing, to put in writing what?”“It’s so embarrassing,” Torre interjected.“Yeah, literally,” Mohyeldin continued over the laughter. “They're like — they're begging him. They're like, ‘Please just put it down in writing what you said to us in the hearing, like you already said it to the world, the world heard it, but we know it doesn't mean anything in the world.’” - YouTube youtu.be

Far Left

Read →

Trump AG pick Blanche stalled as key Republicans refuse to budge

Latest Political News on Fox News

1 hour ago

Trump AG pick Blanche stalled as key Republicans refuse to budge

Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis demanded written proposals to modify the Trump IRS settlement, derailing Todd Blanche's confirmation vote.

Right

Read →

Someone 'above Blanche’s pay grade' is blocking deal with Senate: Republican

Alternet.org

1 hour ago

Someone 'above Blanche’s pay grade' is blocking deal with Senate: Republican

Two U.S. Senators have said that someone at the White House is stopping President Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general from signing off on preventing the so-called "anti-weaponization fund" for MAGA allies who felt they were unfairly targeted by the U.S. government.In an earlier interview, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, "But, I don't know, somebody somewhere, I don't know whether it's the White House, or somebody works there or somebody works for the president, is basically telling them don't agree to those terms. And so we're kind of back to square one."The terms Cornyn wants include a signed guarantee that the fund will not be started. A federal judge requested the same thing in court, and Blanche refused twice to put such a pledge in writing.Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is now part of the small caucus of outgoing senators unwilling to sign off on Blanche without that guarantee. MS NOW's Ali Vitali spoke to Tillis on Thursday morning. In the interview, the outgoing Republican senator said that Blanche has been working with lawmakers in good faith. The problems are coming from someone else in the White House. "I think Blanche is trying to fulfill the commitment he made in the hearing. And so, we're continuing to talk, and we need to get to the person who's in the way. Todd Blanche is negotiating in good faith, but it's clear that the approval to get this done is above his pay grade, and we just need to get to that pay grade," said Tillis.He began to walk away and shouted over his shoulder, "I don't believe it's the president."Within a few hours, Trump went to Truth Social, writing, "Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time. However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this great nominee, who will remain, in any event, as acting [attorney general]. Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention. 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 one thing that could stop that from happening is if Democrats win the Senate in the November elections. It's a long shot that requires flipping four seats, NPR reported this week.Cornyn responded to Trump on X, saying, "POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to Senator Tillis and me."

Left

Read →

Senators Cornyn and Tillis Force Delay of Blanche Nomination Over Trump’s IRS Deal

Summary

Related Coverage

Daily Analysis

More Headlines From July 30, 2026

Senators Cornyn and Tillis Force Delay of Blanche Nomination Over Trump’s IRS Deal

Compare Perspectives