Trump’s tax immunity scheme hoists president by his own petard on Blanche AG nomination

President Donald Trump's insistence on maintaining a controversial tax immunity deal has created a significant hurdle in the confirmation process for his nominee, Todd Blanche, as US attorney general. The agreement, which grants Trump broad tax immunity and establishes a $1.8 billion slush fund, has become a point of contention, with two Republican senators voicing strong opposition.

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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. I don’t know who, but it doesn’t need to be this hard.

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have signaled their reluctance to support Blanche's permanent confirmation due to the tax immunity deal. Cornyn expressed frustration, stating that the issue should have been resolved between him and Blanche, but suggested pushback from higher-ups at the White House was preventing a resolution. Tillis echoed similar sentiments, indicating that the hold-up was not with Blanche himself but with external factors.

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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.

Trump responded forcefully on his Truth Social platform, directly attacking Cornyn and Tillis. He accused them of refusing to endorse him and claimed their political careers were effectively over due to his actions. Trump even suggested he might withdraw Blanche's name temporarily, only to re-nominate him after Cornyn and Tillis are no longer in office, highlighting the deep personal animosity involved.

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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.

The dispute centers on a lawsuit settlement concerning the unauthorized disclosure of Trump's tax records. A federal judge had previously criticized the government's handling of the case, suggesting an effort to engineer a favorable outcome for the president. While negotiations continued, the confirmation vote for Blanche remained uncertain, though Blanche could continue serving as acting attorney general indefinitely under federal law.

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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.