Tillis: Blanche Won't Be Confirmed Over Trump Fund
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- Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) declared Saturday that AG nominee Todd Blanche won't be confirmed by the Senate next week, citing Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund fight
- Tillis accused Trump of intending to 'resurrect the payout pot for punks' via a new 'bogus fund' or by pushing Congress to vote on a bill most Senate Republicans would oppose
- Tillis nonetheless called Blanche 'qualified for the job' and expressed hope the impasse could be resolved by Tuesday
- The White House did not immediately respond to Tillis's remarks
- Trump's July 31 statement that the fund was 'dead' is now contradicted by his subsequent actions, per Tillis's interpretation
Why it matters: Tillis's public block exposes a Republican-only breakdown: one GOP senator is killing a qualified nominee over a Trump pet project, and the Tuesday deadline gives the White House days to either bury the fund or absorb blame for a DOJ leadership vacuum. Without resolution, Senate Republicans own the cost of a self-inflicted delay on a cabinet post Trump himself nominated.
