Trump threatens to pull Todd Blanche’s AG nomination until after GOP holdouts leave office
Source: NBC News Politics · Bias: Center Left
Summary
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general until two Republican senators who have expressed concerns about Blanche leave office in January.
Trump threatens to pull Todd Blanche’s AG nomination until after GOP holdouts leave office
Center Left
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general until two Republican senators who have expressed concerns about Blanche leave office in January.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) revealed the strain of leading Republicans under President Donald Trump's relentless pressure to eliminate the filibuster and pass an election overhaul bill. During a Wednesday Capitol interview with Politico, Thune disputed Trump's simultaneous claim that he "has the votes" to kill the filibuster, stating he lacks sufficient support for such action. “He thinks I can wave the magic wand,” Thune told the outlet, “I wish it were that easy.”The Senate leader attributed the challenge partly to Trump's primary involvement shaping the conference's current makeup. Thune also noted the significant loss of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who previously served as a trusted intermediary capable of speaking candidly to the president. Politico addressed Trump's comments, specifically when he questioned whether Thune was “the man for the job” of leading Senate Republicans. "[If Trump could find somebody else to do this job," Thune said, "It might be a big relief.”Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) dropped a domestic violence case against his ex-wife amid growing backlash over allegations he scalded her with hot water and held a gun to her head.A Cuyahoga County judge formally dismissed the case Wednesday against Emily Moreno, daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), after Miller moved to drop it in May. Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Judge Debra Boros found Miller had not actually been harmed — or ever feared Emily Moreno."The Judge finds that Petitioner's [Miller's] Counsel was able to inform the reasons for seeking relief, that Petitioner was not under any apparent infirmity and did not appear to have been threatened by or in fear of Respondent [Moreno]," the New York Post reported, citing the ruling.Miller, who President Donald Trump has endorsed, claimed in court that doorbell camera footage proved his account of a February 2025 custody exchange.His own team later told Emily Moreno's lawyers the footage did not exist, the New York Times reported.At a July 28 court hearing, Miller's own attorney, Larry Zuckerman, acknowledged his client "just can't control himself," according to an affidavit Emily Moreno filed Wednesday.The Times detailed Emily Moreno's accusations — that Miller scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet, held a gun to her head, pushed her into a wall, and fractured their 2-year-old daughter's collarbone. Miller has denied every allegation.Also Wednesday, Emily Moreno filed for a restraining order to keep Miller away from her attorneys after he physically touched her lawyer Andrew Zashin without consent.In an affidavit filed the same day, Emily Moreno wrote that she intervened directly."After Plaintiff placed his hands on Attorney Andrew Zashin, I told Plaintiff, 'Get your hands off of him,'" she wrote.New attention to the case has resulted in fresh condemnation of Miller and calls for him to resign. "Congress is no place for violent abusers who attack their family and hold a gun to their wife's head. Max Miller needs to resign now — and if he refuses, the House should expel him," Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown said, as the gun violence prevention group founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords demanded Miller's resignation Wednesday."The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing, and Congress can't ignore them," Democratic Women's Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) and Vice Chairs Emilia Sykes (D-OH) and Hillary Scholten (D-MI) said in a joint statement calling on the U.S. House Ethics Committee to investigate.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called the allegations "troubling accusations" at the Ohio State Fair but said voters should decide. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) said colleagues on her side of the aisle had stepped down over less, News5Cleveland reported.Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham also accused Miller of physical abuse during their 2019 and 2020 relationship, the Times reported.Miller sued Grisham for defamation, then dropped the case and settled — requiring both to sign a nondisclosure agreement, a legal contract barring them from discussing the matter publicly. Grisham is now suing Miller, claiming he broke that agreement by publicly denying her allegations.Earlier this year, President Trump gave Miller his "Complete and Total Endorsement" even as abuse allegations were hanging over the lawmaker's head. The Times reported Trump's own political operation is privately alarmed about Miller's seat, viewing his troubles as ones of his own making.Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker, led Miller by 17 points among independents in a June 2026 poll by Democratic firm GBAO, according to Newsweek — in a district Trump won by 11 points in 2024.
President Donald Trump expressed fury at the Supreme Court on Wednesday via Truth Social."Does anybody have any idea how much Money and Prestige the United States Supreme Court has cost our Nation with their negative Rulings on Birthright Citizenship and TARIFFS? The answer, TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS! President," Trump accused the justices. His criticism comes as his attorneys seek to overturn an $83.3 million defamation judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll, a columnist who accused the president of sexual assault in the 1990s. The Supreme Court has been blocking key Trump policies. In February, it ruled 6-3 and reiterated presidents cannot impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Then, in June, it ruled 6-3, blocking his executive order ending birthright citizenship.The Supreme Court determined the policy change violated the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to those born on U.S. soil regardless of parental immigration status.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Iran on Thursday threatened to “punish” the United States following a “heavy wave of strikes” against Tehran overnight in retaliation against missile attacks on American forces in the Middle East. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it “will punish the aggressor today,” extending the threat to Gulf nations helping Washington in the conflict, saying such countries would…
Trump met with the Saudi defense minister and with PM Netanyahu earlier this week. The Israeli prime minister counseled Trump on three options for the war.
Anthony Fauci’s diary details a June 2020 phone call in which President Donald Trump berated the infectious disease expert over comments he made about COVID-19 vaccine immunity before White House officials later sought to smooth things over. The account is included in a more than 1,000-page collection of Fauci’s writings released Saturday by Sen. Rand […]
