President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that his endorsement of Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is why the senator is holding up Todd Blanche’s confirmation for attorney general.
The president, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, described Blanche as “outstanding” and said that he expected the confirmation process to be “pretty routine because he’s so good.” Blanche was confirmed as deputy attorney general by the Senate, 52-46, last year.
“I don’t know, maybe John Cornyn is upset with me because I didn’t endorse him. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem,” Trump added. “I heard he’s going through quite nicely.”
Trump endorsed Paxton in the May runoff election. In a post on Truth Social, he said that while Cornyn is “a good man” who he worked well with, Paxton is a “true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas.”
The president’s remarks come as Cornyn said Wednesday that he was “not prepared” to support Blanche’s confirmation after the acting attorney general did not appear for a planned morning meeting with the Texas senator.
Cornyn has been pressing Blanche to modify in writing the settlement Trump reached with the IRS earlier this year that included a proposed “anti-weaponization fund.” It would enshrine Blanche’s oral pledge during his confirmation hearing earlier this month that the fund is defunct.
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