Republican Senator John Cornyn, who was primaried out by a Texas candidate who was backed by President Donald Trump, gave a revealing answer when asked whether his unwillingness to support confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General is an example of him being more "independent" from the president.
Cornyn and his outgoing GOP colleague, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, are urging the Justice Department to revise its settlement with Trump to explicitly eliminate a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" compensation fund.
The fund, originally included in a settlement resolving Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, would have compensated individuals who claimed they were unfairly targeted during the Biden administration.
Blanche, the acting attorney general, has repeatedly assured lawmakers that the fund is effectively dead and will not be implemented. However, Cornyn has noted that Blanche also acknowledged the provision remains part of the written settlement agreement.
To prevent it from being revived in the future, Cornyn and Tillis want the settlement formally amended, arguing that revising the agreement would be a simpler solution than asking Congress to pass legislation permanently barring the creation of the fund.
CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju approached Cornyn and asked him the following:
"You would acknowledge not having to run for reelection anymore has freed you up to be more independent from the president. Would you acknowledge that?"
Cornyn laughed and replied:
"Have you noticed?"
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
It said it all, and Cornyn's answer wasn't particularly well-received either.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he believed Cornyn was "upset" because he declined to endorse him in the Republican Senate primary, instead backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn's defeat in the May runoff will bring an end to his four-term tenure in the Senate.
But Cornyn's refusal to play ball has had an effect. Trump suggested he may temporarily withdraw Blanche's nomination, blaming Cornyn and Tillis for delaying the confirmation process.
In a post on Truth Social, he called Blanche a "STAR" and said the two senators, "both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting."
Trump claimed he has "no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office," setting the stage for future clashes in the Senate.
@PokerPolitics/X
@discogorilla/Bluesky
@SenSchumer/X
@WUTangKids/X