Trump vows to keep Blanche AG, push anti-weaponization bill

President Donald Trump said Saturday he will keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general and push Congress to pass an "Anti-Weaponization Bill" if Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis continue to block Blanche's confirmation. The president's statement, posted on Truth Social, escalates a political standoff within his own party that has stalled the nomination.

Trump wrote that if the senators "aren't going to approve Todd Blanche," he would keep him as acting attorney general and "push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill... PASSED." He claimed the bill would aid those "badly treated" by the previous administration. The president also attributed the senators' opposition to personal grievances, stating they were upset he did not endorse them.

The senators' resistance centers on a $1.8 billion fund established as part of a legal settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service, which they want formally terminated in writing. The fund, intended to compensate individuals claiming political persecution, drew bipartisan criticism over potential payouts, including to those involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Blanche testified earlier this month that...