Senator Thom Tillis has accused President Donald Trump of taking "bad advice" following Trump's threat to withdraw acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Blanche's nomination to serve permanently as attorney general on Thursday, July 30th, 2026, after Tillis and Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn expressed opposition.

Tillis, who announced his retirement in June 2025, and Cornyn, who lost his Republican primary after Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton late in the race, have both said they will not support Blanche without written assurances that a proposed anti-weaponization compensation fund is permanently terminated.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Tillis suggested that the president wanted to keep open the possibility of reviving the fund, which Tillis and Cornyn oppose. "The president's getting bad advice," Tillis said. "He should listen to Blanche and others who think if it's dead, it should be rendered completely dead."

Trump has threatened to withdraw Blanche's nomination and resubmit it after Tillis and Cornyn leave office in January 2027. Cornyn stated, "The president decided that was unacceptable," arguing Trump was "not willing to fundamentally give up the weaponization fund or the enhanced audit."

Cornyn also indicated he had no objection to temporarily withdrawing Blanche's name if assurances are not met, with the possibility of renomination after both senators are out of office.

Sources