Cornyn blocks Blanche attorney general vote over DOJ fund dispute

John Cornyn and Thom Tillis held back support for Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination, forcing the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone its planned vote and handing President Donald Trump a rare Republican setback on a key Cabinet pick. Cornyn said he was not prepared to vote yes until he got answers about a disputed Justice Department anti-weaponization fund, a fight that also raised questions about audit immunity.

The Texas senator’s stand mattered because Blanche’s confirmation was expected to move forward before the delay. Instead, Cornyn and Tillis became the votes that could not be counted on, using the committee process to press for concessions before Blanche reached the full Senate.

Cornyn said there were “new complications” on the morning of July 30, and Trump later that day said he may temporarily withdraw Blanche’s nomination. Trump also brushed aside Cornyn’s hold, saying he had heard Blanche was going through “quite nicely.”

The dispute centered on whether the department would keep or abandon the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund, with Cornyn and Tillis waiting for proof the fund was dead. Their objections showed how a senior Republican in a lame-duck position can still slow a White House-backed nominee when that nominee is still stuck in committee and needs GOP votes to advance.

Blanche’s confirmation hearing on July 15 had already drawn scrutiny over his role in the release of Epstein-related files and his ties to Trump. Blanche told senators he was not a “yes man,” but the hearing did not settle the concerns that surfaced again in the days before the committee vote was supposed to happen.

For Trump, the standoff was more than a personnel fight. It showed that even with a Republican-controlled Senate, a holdout in Cornyn’s position can still extract leverage over the administration’s agenda, especially when the opposition comes from inside Trump’s own party. Whether the clash stays limited to Blanche or signals a broader willingness by Senate Republicans to check the president on future appointments now turns on how long Cornyn and Tillis keep pressing their demands.