President Donald Trump criticized Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Friday, accusing him of withholding support for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination due to Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" legal defense fund. Trump asserted that Cornyn had no objections to the fund until after Trump endorsed Cornyn’s Republican primary challenger, who subsequently won the nomination for the U.S. Senate in Texas.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “John Cornyn never had a problem with the so called ‘Fund,’ which will not benefit me, but rather the great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, until after I decided to Endorse and Support his Republican Primary opponent in Texas, who easily won the Nomination for the United States Senate.” He added, “Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history.”

Senator Cornyn told reporters on Thursday that the Justice Department had not provided sufficient written clarity regarding closing a legal loophole that could potentially reinstate the fund. He said, “I think I am prepared to vote no, but I do think I owe it to my constituents and to Mr. Blanche to try to negotiate in good faith. And that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is also withholding support for Blanche’s nomination unless the Justice Department guarantees that the fund is permanently terminated and that Trump cannot exempt his family from tax audits.

The nomination vote was postponed after Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) canceled a scheduled vote on Thursday morning. Along with Cornyn and Tillis, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is part of a group dubbed the "YOLO caucus," which has been challenging Trump’s positions. Cornyn lost his reelection bid following Trump’s endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, his primary opponent.

Sources