Cornyn and fellow Republican “rebel” Sen. Thom Tillis had threatened to block Blanche’s path to the job by voting against him in the Senate Judiciary Committee. John Cornyn insisted there was nothing that would rein in President trumpo. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump claimed Cornyn was seeking to derail his AG pick out of revenge for his decision to back Paxton, a claim the four-term senator has denied. And until we start recognizing this behavior as bad, we’re just going to one-up it,” said the North Carolina senator.