GOP Senator Bluntly Admits ‘There’s Nothing We Could Do to Rein in’ Trump
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) admitted there was “nothing we could do to rein in” President Donald Trump while talking about his anti-weaponization fund.
Cornyn — one of the holdouts preventing the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — finally backed down Tuesday to allow Blanche’s nomination to advance to a full vote by the Senate.
Cornyn, along with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) had been withholding their support for Blanche over the president’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
The fund, created after Trump reached a settlement with the IRS, was intended to pay those who were allegedly victims of the weaponization of government. It was immediately proven to be deeply unpopular across the political spectrum.
Speaking after Tuesday morning’s vote, Cornyn declared the anti-weaponization fund was effectively “dead.”
When he was asked about Trump’s insistence to pay the supposed victims in some way, Cornyn admitted the president can’t be reined in.
“Well, there’s nothing we could do to rein in the president when he said he likes the fund and he wishes it still exists,” Cornyn said. “But the fact of the matter, it’s dead, and that’s all we could do under these circumstances.”
Prior to the vote, Cornyn and Tillis announced Sunday they’d be voting to confirm Blanche. The decision came after the sides reached a compromise that addressed their concerns on Trump’s fund.
Some speculated that Cornyn was primarily holding a grudge against Trump for endorsing his opponent, Texas AG Ken Paxton, in the state’s Republican primary for Senate back in May.
Trump appeared to feel the same way, accusing Cornyn on Truth Social of changing his stance on the fund only after he endorsed Paxton. Days earlier, he suggested to reporters that the senator was “upset” with him.
Cornyn has repeatedly denied that theory, calling it a “convenient excuse for not cooperating with the judiciary committee’s appropriate role in the confirmation.”
Watch above via NewsNation
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