Good for Thom Tillis. He’s not backing down yet on Blanche | Opinion
Todd Blanche’s confirmation is on hold — for now — as two Republican senators continue holding out on President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.
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Among them is Thom Tillis, who has seemed both open and hesitant about supporting Blanche’s nomination in recent weeks. But now, his resistance is no longer just posturing. It’s real. A Judiciary Committee vote scheduled for Thursday morning was postponed after it became clear that the requisite number of Republican votes were not yet there for Blanche.
Tillis and his colleague John Cornyn are demanding that the Department of Justice assuage their concerns about a settlement reached between Trump and the IRS. The settlement established a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits. Cornyn and Tillis are seeking a formal written declaration narrowing or killing those parts of the deal.
For some reason, Blanche and the DOJ have yet to comply with that request, despite the fact that the senators have made it clear that this would be a sticking point from the start. Perhaps the White House thought Tillis and Cornyn were bluffing. Perhaps the administration expected them to back down at the last minute. It’s clear, now, that they are not.
“I’ve got a pretty good track record on folding or not folding here, so they should never assume that about me,” Tillis told one reporter on Wednesday evening.
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Good for Tillis. Despite what he says, his track record on folding is shaky at best, though he has grown increasingly defiant since announcing his retirement from the Senate. North Carolina still remembers his waffling on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who Tillis ultimately voted for despite his previous reservations.
Of course, he and Cornyn no longer have anything to lose. After losing his primary in May, Cornyn has joined Tillis in the club of Republican senators who don’t have to worry about reelection. And it’s clear that they are willing to be a thorn in the side of Trump and his administration.
For more on Blanche’s nomination and the confirmation process:
Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten covers politics and the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 10:39 AM.
