00:02President Trump is threatening to pull the nomination of his own attorney general pick,
00:07rather than give in to Republican holdouts.
00:10The standoff began after the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a vote on Todd Blanche's nomination.
00:15Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Tillis of North Carolina say they won't support Blanche
00:22unless the Justice Department puts in writing that a controversial tax settlement cannot be used
00:27to revive the scrapped anti-weaponization fund or shield future Trump tax filings from IRS audits.
00:34Speaking to reporters, Tillis said, quote,
00:37somebody's telling him to not do what Blanche said they were going to do.
00:41Whoever that person is, is giving the president bad advice.
00:44The only reason why we wouldn't move forward with this language
00:47is because that same advisor wants to bring it back to life at some point.
00:52On X, Cornyn said President Trump is wrong if he thinks the pushback stops,
00:57with just the two of them.
00:59Trump called Blanche a star on Truth Social, criticizing both senators
01:03and saying he'd rather temporarily withdraw the nomination than give in to their demands,
01:08writing,
01:09I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they did not do the right thing
01:13and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.
01:17Cornyn and Tillis are both not on the November ballot.
01:20But even if Trump pulls the nomination,
01:23Blanche would likely still remain in charge of the Justice Department.
01:26Under federal law, the deputy attorney general automatically assumes the duties
01:30of the attorney general when the office is vacant.
01:33Since Blanche is already serving as deputy and acting attorney general,
01:37a withdrawn nomination may change his title, but not his day-to-day authority.
01:42Sometimes the most interesting part of a story never makes it into the headlines.
01:47That's why we created Unbiased Updates Off Script,
01:50an exclusive show where we turn off the prompter for smart insights about the stories shaping your week.
01:56There is evidence, right, that it's foreign actors who are creating these accounts.
02:02Unscripted conversations, transparent reporting,
02:05and the context behind the headlines from the people who know the stories best.
02:09No spin or agenda.
02:11That website was only created one day before announcing his candidacy.
02:16Unbiased Updates Off Script, Thursdays at Straight Arrow.
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