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President Trump brushed off concerns that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) could hold up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination in the Senate on Wednesday, saying he heard the process is going “quite nicely.
“I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I’ve heard he’s going through quite nicely,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“All I can say is Todd Blanche is outstanding, and I thought it was pretty routine because he’s good. You just wouldn’t find a better person,” he continued.
The president’s comments come after Cornyn said his scheduled meeting with Blanche was canceled on Wednesday and that he was “not prepared to vote yes” on advancing Blanche’s nomination.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump said, noting his decision earlier this year to back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Cornyn in the state’s contested Republican Senate primary.
One Republican “no” vote on Blanche could stall his nomination in committee.
Cornyn has been pressuring the Justice Department on a controversial “anti-weaponization” fund.
The Texas senator told reporters Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told him he needed to know by 4 p.m. whether Thursday morning’s scheduled vote could proceed.
“So we still got a little time, and hopefully they now recognize the seriousness of this, and will be responding,” Cornyn said.
Trump was also asked about Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) saying this week that he did not have the 50 votes necessary to advance a budget reconciliation bill through the Senate.
“Well, that’s too bad for him. I mean, that’s too bad for him and too bad for the Republican Party. He’s got the votes. He should get it done. He should be able to get it done,” Trump said.
Trump has also been pushing Thune and Senate Republicans to remove the filibuster to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, a law that would create new federal requirements for voter identification.
Thune insists there’s not enough GOP support for such a move, and last week he suggested the White House help whip votes.
Asked if Thune was still “the man for the job,” Trump told reporters, “Well, we’re going to find out, and I’ll let you know.”
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