US President Donald Trump says he is considering withdrawing Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general as his confirmation appears stalled in the Senate.
Blanche, who has been acting in the role since April, needs the support of all Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation to advance.
However, two senators – John Cornyn from Texas and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, whose terms both expire in January – are withholding theirs over the status of a controversial fund to compensate Trump allies.
“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 said.
The proposed $1.8bn (£1.3bn) “anti-weaponisation fund” was announced earlier this year to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax returns.
It would have allowed Trump allies to claim compensation for what they say was politically motivated prosecutions by previous administrations.
There was a bipartisan backlash to the deal and Blanche, who negotiated it, later abandoned it. Separately, a federal judge blocked the fund and expressed concerns that it breached ethical guidelines.
The two senators who are withholding their support – John Cornyn from Texas and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, whose terms both expire in January – now want Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer, to state in writing that the justice department will not resurrect the fund later on. The Trump administration has not yet announced that commitment.
On Thursday, Blanche met with the two senators but it is unclear if they came to an agreement.
“The only logical conclusion I can draw from this setback is that, in fact, there is somebody who wants to enable [the fund] at the right time,” said Tillis, adding that this was “unacceptable”.
Trump’s remarks that he could renominate Todd Blanche once Tillis and Cornyn are out of office faces one obvious obstacle – Democrats could win back the majority in the Senate in November’s midterms, which would make this almost impossible.
Most federal vacancies can be filled in acting capacity for up to 210 days and the interim official can continue to serve while the Senate’s confirmation process continues.
Even if Democrats win the Senate’s majority, Blanche could theoretically remain as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Although many polls put Democrats in the lead to win the majority in the US House of Representatives, the polling is much less favourable for the US Senate.
Polls show Democrat Roy Cooper leading in North Carolina.
Cornyn, meanwhile, lost the Republican primary to Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Trump publicly endorsed.
Paxton, who faced several scandals in the past, will face Democrat James Talarico in an election that polls suggest could be close.
This is not the first time Trump’s nominees have faced opposition from his own side. Trump initially announced plans to nominate former congressman Matt Gaetz in November 2024 to be attorney general but that was quickly dropped.
Two nominees to head the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also failed to win support in the Senate.