Todd Blanche, who has been running the Justice Department since April, is trying to get confirmed as the official Attorney General. But a senator from his own party is standing in the way. Senator John Cornyn of Texas told reporters on July 29, 2026, "I'm not prepared to vote yes." His comment came one day before a Senate committee was scheduled to vote on whether to move Blanche's nomination forward. Cornyn had already said on July 28 that the vote could be postponed Politico.

Here is why that matters: every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee needs to vote yes for Blanche's nomination to move ahead. If even one Republican on the committee votes no, the nomination stops right there. CNN reported on July 21 that Cornyn and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina were the two Republicans who might oppose Blanche CNN. Roll Call reported on July 16 that Tillis had set a new condition for his vote Roll Call, while two Republican committee members told CNBC the same day they were still undecided CNBC.

Cornyn's concerns are about how Blanche has been running the Justice Department. In May 2026, Blanche arranged a settlement to resolve a lawsuit that Donald Trump had filed against the IRS, the agency that collects taxes. Under the deal, Trump and his family would be protected from future IRS audits. The settlement also created a fund to compensate people who believed they had been politically targeted. Blanche dropped the fund after criticism from both parties; critics called it a slush fund meant to reward the president's allies Al Jazeera.

In early July 2026, a federal judge made things worse by ruling that the IRS settlement was illegal. The judge accused Blanche of working for both the government and Trump as a private citizen at the same time. During his confirmation hearing, Blanche told lawmakers the compensation fund was dead. But Cornyn said he still had not received written proof: "I have not seen a single piece of writing that is responsive to what I've requested."

There is also a personal angle. Trump endorsed Cornyn's opponent in the Republican primary, former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in May 2026. Paxton won the nomination and will face Democrat James Talarico in November's election. Cornyn will leave the Senate in January after more than 20 years. At a news conference on July 29, Trump called Blanche "outstanding" and suggested Cornyn's opposition might be tied to the endorsement decision.

Trump formally nominated Blanche as the 88th Attorney General on June 8, 2026 Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee held two days of hearings on July 15 and 16, led by Chairman Chuck Grassley. Before joining Trump's second term, Blanche worked as the president's personal criminal defense lawyer. Politico noted that this made him the first acting attorney general in modern history to have previously served as the sitting president's criminal defense lawyer Politico.

During the July 15 hearing, Blanche told the committee, "I'm not a yes man" Reuters. During his February 2025 confirmation hearing for deputy attorney general (the number-two role at the Justice Department), Blanche avoided questions about whether he would recuse himself, meaning step aside from cases where his independence might be questioned. Lawmakers also pressed him about the inquiry into former Special Counsel Jack Smith Reuters. Under his watch, the Justice Department filed a second indictment (a formal criminal charge) against former FBI Director James Comey.

Democrats are firmly opposed. Senator Dick Durbin entered a statement into the official record opposing the nomination, pointing to his vote against Blanche for deputy attorney general a year earlier. Senator Alex Padilla publicly said he would vote no Padilla, Facebook.

The broader context here is that the real obstacle is not Democratic resistance but Republican defection. With committee Republicans holding all the leverage, the nomination's fate depends on whether Blanche can give Cornyn the written commitments he wants and whether Tillis's condition can be met before the committee meets again. Blanche was also scheduled to meet with Epstein survivors during his confirmation process, as CNBC reported on July 16, showing how many issues the nominee must handle before a vote.

For an acting attorney general who has already faced a federal ruling of illegal conduct over a settlement he personally arranged, the path to confirmation is narrow. The committee vote set for Thursday, if it happens at all, will be the first real test of whether Blanche's promises to senators have been enough, or whether the lack of written guarantees and the weight of the IRS ruling will cost him the Republican unity he needs.