President Trump signaled he might withdraw Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination temporarily rather than yield to holdout Republican senators, setting up a standoff over a settlement fund and legal protections that has stalled confirmation talks.

President Trump floated pulling Todd Blanche’s nomination and resubmitting it after outgoing Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office, saying he has “no objection” to that tactic and insisting Blanche “will remain, in any event, as Acting.” That move would sidestep the two senators rather than meet their demands, and it comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a planned vote on the nomination. The public squabble has highlighted tensions inside the GOP about settlements, DOJ independence, and political strategy.

The holdouts want a clear written assurance that a controversial “anti-weaponization fund” — valued at $1.776 billion and tied to a settlement in President Trump’s personal IRS lawsuit — is truly dead and will not be resurrected. They also want changes to settlement provisions they say could give President Trump protections from future tax audits that ordinary taxpayers would not enjoy. Those demands have frozen the process and given a couple of senators outsized leverage over the committee.

Blanche, already serving as acting attorney general, met with Cornyn and Tillis for about 45 minutes at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and aides described the session as collaborative. Yet cooperation in private has not erased public resistance from either side, and the meeting produced no immediate resolution. That leaves Blanche running the Justice Department while his confirmation hangs in limbo.

Trump used blunt language about the senators, calling Blanche “a STAR” and accusing Cornyn and Tillis of being men “I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action.” He emphasized that Blanche “will remain, in any event, as Acting,” making clear he views the nomination fight as political theater that does not affect day-to-day DOJ operations. The president framed the possible withdrawal as a tactical option, not a capitulation.

Cornyn responded sharply, warning that concerns about the settlement provisions go beyond him and Tillis and suggesting other senators share reservations privately. He argued the core demand is straightforward: “We want to make sure that it remains dead, and that the president isn’t given any immunity from future audits that the ordinary taxpayer would not enjoy.” That plain demand centers on parity in tax treatment and durable assurances that the fund cannot be resurrected.

Cornyn also questioned the wisdom of waiting out the holdouts, noting the upcoming November midterm elections could shrink the Republican majority and make confirmation harder. He pointed out that he lost his primary earlier this cycle and that Tillis is leaving office in January, which factors into the timing and stakes. The senator said negotiations nearly reached a deal after the DOJ sent an updated offer and he returned a counter-proposal, but he blamed unnamed higher-ups at the White House for pushing back.

Tillis sounded slightly more optimistic about reaching a deal but pointed to an unnamed White House adviser as a problem, accusing that person of advising the president to hold out for an option to revive the fund later. He insisted the dispute was “not Blanche’s problem,” saying Blanche was forthright and willing to work. Tillis framed his stance as about making sure the language is ironclad so the fund cannot be resurrected at the whim of an adviser or future decision-makers.

“The only reason why we wouldn’t move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point.”

That allegation raises questions about who inside the White House might prefer to keep the fund as a future lever, and it suggests the conflict is partly intra-party politics. If true, it would mean Senate Republicans are negotiating not just with the administration but with competing internal factions. Tillis has previously signaled conditional support for Blanche, and his holdout shows those conditions remain unresolved.

Sen. Bill Cassidy added another layer of uncertainty by saying Blanche “cannot give commitments that Cornyn and Tillis want,” framing the impasse as structural rather than personal. He declined to say whether he would vote to confirm Blanche if the matter came to the floor immediately, saying he was still gathering information. That ambiguity means Blanche cannot clear the Judiciary Committee without unanimous Republican backing on the panel, and right now at least two senators are firm holdouts with a third noncommittal.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the meeting but offered no public assessment of progress, leaving the standoff in suspense. Meanwhile, GOP leaders worry that a drawn-out fight could weaken the party’s hand or complicate DOJ leadership under an acting attorney general. The Federal Vacancies Reform Act would also limit how long Blanche could serve as acting attorney general if the nomination is formally withdrawn, adding another legal wrinkle to the tactical choice Trump floated.

Cornyn warned that the president’s gamble carries risk because election outcomes are uncertain and a smaller Republican majority would make confirmation harder next year. He asked why the White House would escalate a fight that could cost them votes, and his point highlights the political trade-offs here. The longer the attorney general’s office operates under an acting leader, the more questions arise about permanence and authority at DOJ.

For now, Blanche remains the acting attorney general and continues to manage the department while the political dispute plays out. The central question — whether the anti-weaponization fund is dead or merely dormant — remains unresolved, and both senators say Blanche and the White House have not yet provided the written commitments they want. The disagreement centers on a narrow, enforceable promise that would remove doubt about future policy options.

The public friction between Trump and members of his own party has sharpened as the confirmation sits stalled and officials point fingers inside the administration. Tillis downplayed the president’s threats and said negotiators are continuing talks, adding, “In this place, nothing’s ever as good or as bad as it seems, so we’re continuing to negotiate.” Until someone in the White House puts the requested language on paper, the dispute looks set to persist.