President Donald Trump said he has ‘no objection’ to temporarily withdrawing his attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche, from Senate confirmation after two Republicans refused to vote for him.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he has ‘no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name’ if the two outgoing Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, ‘do not do the right thing’ and vote to confirm him in  the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Trump said he would then put Blanche’s nomination back to the panel for a vote after the midterm elections. 

He tore into the two GOP holdouts, saying he personally ended their ‘political careers.’

It caps a weeks-long standoff with Cornyn, Tillis, and Blanche over the text of a sweeping tax immunity agreement for Trump and members of his family, as well as a $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization fund.’ 

The Republicans are withholding their ‘yes’ votes until they get written confirmation from DOJ that the IRS settlement and anti-weaponization fund are ‘dead.’ 

Blanche had acknowledged the written changes would be needed to prevent Trump from theoretically reviving the settlement in the future.

But after weeks of back-and-forth negotiations between the lawmakers and the DOJ, the two sides remained at an impasse. Cornyn declared there was no deal and Blanche’s vote out of the Senate Judiciary Committee – planned for Thursday – was cancelled.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month

Trump, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Todd Blanche speak to reporters

Trump and his then-personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, speak to the press outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City

Cornyn speaks to reporters after votes in the US Capitol 

But Trump appears willing to gamble the fate of his attorney general nominee in order to keep alive the sweeping IRS settlement.

Cornyn fired back at Trump, saying the President is ‘mistaken’ that ‘concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement’ are limited to him and Tillis. 

The impasse threatens to snarl Blanche’s confirmation hopes for the near-term, leaving Trump without a Senate-confirmed attorney general.

It could also prompt renewed scrutiny of the IRS settlement, barring the requested modifications. Already, the settlement and the so-called anti-weaponization fund had created new fissures within the Republican Party and the Trump administration. 

GOP leaders have shown more willingness to buck the President on his legislative priorities, which could complicate things for him in the final months before the midterm elections.

A Senate Judiciary Committee spokesperson conceded that Blanche’s nomination lacked votes to advance from committee, saying that the panel’s chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley, works to ‘set President Trump’s nominees up for success in committee, not failure.’

‘Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement. Tomorrow’s markup is postponed as work continues to secure sufficient support in committee to favorably report Attorney General-nominee Todd Blanche, who is highly qualified for the job,’ the spokesperson said.

It’s not the only issue that could be a thorn in Blanche’s side in the days or weeks ahead.

Blanche spent his confirmation hearing earlier this month fielding tough questions from Democrats and Republicans alike, who pressed him repeatedly on controversial actions the Justice Department has taken during Trump’s second presidential term.

Lawmakers grilled Blanche about the Justice Department’s botched release of the Epstein files, his personal loyalty to Trump, and concerns about carrying out politically motivated investigations or penalizing career officials who refused to carry out these marching orders.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said Tuesday that the two sides were in contact. 

DOJ ‘provided a written proposal to Senator Cornyn’s staff following ongoing discussion with both the Committee and the Senator’s office,’ adding that they ‘look forward to further discussion around any outstanding concerns.’