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Well, well, well. I'm sensing that there's some blood in the water. The sharks are circling. And just maybe Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to become the Attorney General for the United States. Maybe limp and dead, dead on arrival. Not quite sure what phrase you want to use, but it's all appropriate. Now, let's start with the breaking news. This is a post on Truth Social from Donald Trump. Just came out July 30, today at 11:15am Eastern. I don't agree with a lot of things that convicted felon Donald Trump says. I especially don't agree with his assertion that Tom Blanche is a, quote, star and everyone knows it. Of course, felon Trump wants to start a Truth Social post with a lie. Putting that aside, he then accuses John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, quote, both of whom I refuse to endorse and whose political careers have been ended by my action. Trump accuses Cornyn and Tillis of refusing to vote for Todd Blanche because of some type of personal vendetta. Then Trump says that Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland and that Trump has no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd Blanche's name for AG and then putting it back into the mix after Cornyn and Tillis are no longer in office. There really isn't any more histrionics, as is typical in a Trump Truth Social post. I was kind of surprised, frankly. And then this gem of a tweet we got from from John Cornyn. He says, quote, potus is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis. You know, maybe opening up that curtain and letting us peer into the inner workings and machinations of Senate Judiciary on the Republican side to see what is the holdup. Just by way of background, remember today, July 30, 2026, was supposed to be the date that Senate Judiciary voted on on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination by convicted felon Donald Trump for his personal lawyer Todd Blanche to become the Attorney General of the United States. Now, it this nomination has been racked with a lot of hiccups along the way, and understandably so, because Todd Blanche is one of the most failed examples of integrity, honor, loyalty to the rule of law and to the Constitution that we've had. In terms of nominees, he may come packaged in a way that looks decent. I'll be the first to concede that Todd Blanche looks the part more so than maybe others. But it doesn't mean that he fits for the role. He just doesn't because Tom Blanche doesn't have loyalty to the Constitution. Tom Blanche also doesn't understand and grasp the fundamentals, which is he is no longer personal counsel to felon Donald Trump. By the way, the reason why I call Donald Trump convicted felon Donald Trump is because he was convicted for 34 felonies, a falsification of business records when he was successfully prosecuted, and a jury of Trump's peers found him guilty of those felony crimes after being prosecuted by the Manhattan da, Alvin Bragg. And who, you may ask, were Trump's lawyers for that failed criminal trial? Oh, my gosh. It would be Todd Blanche and a guy named Emil Bovey, who is currently sitting in a lifetime appointment on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He's a federal appeals court judge for the rest of his life. Anyway, Tom Blanch doesn't understand that he is no longer the personal lawyer for convicted felon Donald Trump, that he is actually supposed to be the lawyer for the people of the United States, for the American people. But even under oath, when he's been testifying in front of Congress, he's made it pretty clear that it's Donald Trump only and Donald Trump's agenda and policies only that are his priority. And he's unabashedly, unashamedly open about it. He's actually pretty fucking disrespectful about it. And if I were any US Senator, I wouldn't vote yes on Blanche for shit. I wouldn't even vote yes for him to be dog catcher. But here we are. So let's get into some of the details of what has unraveled over the last, I'd say, 24 hours. Not even when it comes to Blanche's nomination. As I said, he was supposed to go up for a vote this morning, 9am that was executive business. That was supposed to be handled by Senate Judiciary. Late yesterday, we get an announcement that that meeting this morning has been postponed. Why? Well, since Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn continue to express skepticism over Blanche's nomination and have made it clear that they are not voting yes until and unless certain concessions are extracted from Blanch, slash, Donald Trump. Now, both John Cornyn and Thom Tillis both did not, it's true, did not get Felon Trump's endorsement in their last races. They both lost and they are both on their way out of Congress. All of that being said right now as we sit Here today on July 30th, Todd Blanche continues to refuse to put into writing in any way that the $1.76 billion slush fund that has been labeled by Trump and his lackeys a, quote, anti weaponization fund, which is just really tantamount to theft from American taxpayers to just go fund another insurrection. Blanche continues to refuse to put into writing that that $1.776 billion slush fund is dead on arrival. He refuses to acknowledge he'll say it till he turns blue in the face that it is not happening anymore. And yet we don't have anything in writing to corroborate, substantiate, or make it concrete and final and enforceable that that slush fund will not move forward. There's another big sticking point. Todd Blanch actually openly refuses to acknowledge that the very broad tax immunity provision that was included in that bullshit settlement agreement for that collusive lawsuit that felon Trump brought down in the Southern District of Florida against the IRS and the Department of Treasury. Blanche refuses to acknowledge that that tax immunity provision is absurd and that it's gone. He'll talk about that slush fund till the cows come home, but he refuses to to relent like a junkyard dog over a bone about that tax immunity provision. Now, I didn't know this about John Cornyn, so thank you to the New York Times for reporting this. John Cornyn is actually a former state judge in Texas. And as we know, Donald Trump picked the disgustingly unethical and frankly, maybe have there's some allegations of some voter fraud here, Ken Paxton to be the next step senator for the state of Texas. And so Cornyn, who was the incumbent, lost the primary to Trump, backed Ken Paxton. Cornyn says that he has been demanding consistently written assurances, but hasn't given specifics to anybody publicly of what those written assurances have to be. And we'll get into the specifics of that in a second. But Cornyn has demanded written assurances from Blanch that the tax immunity provision of that bullshit settlement agreement would not apply to future tax exposure, either civil or criminal, and it wouldn't be extended to a wider circle of people. People, let me be clear. If you look at the language of the tax immunity provision right now, it makes it clear it's for Trump, his family and his business entity. So it's a pretty far damn wide circle of people that are being the beneficiaries of this immunity already. So the thought that it would expand it even farther, of course, would give anybody cause for pause if you were, I don't know, a decent human being. Now, Chuck Grassley, who leads Senate Judiciary, is trying to be the mediator between Blanche slash the White House and Trump and Cornyn and Tillis Grassley can't give a reasonable explanation or an explanation at all as to why Blanche continues to refuse to provide written documentation to Tillis and Cornyn not only about the slush fund but also about the tax immunity provision. Cornyn, according to the New York Times, quote, repeatedly expressed astonishment on Wednesday that the Trump administration did not simply comply with what he regarded as a narrow request to place limits on a deal. Cornyn, stating he was not prepared to vote yes, gave the Department of Justice until 4pm Eastern yesterday, July 29 to produce clear written guarantees on the slush fund and the tax immunity deal and then scrapped a scheduled meeting with Tob Blanche that was supposed to happen yesterday morning. Cornyn says I'm not on a personal vendetta against Trump for him not endorsing me in the primary against Paxton and says that is a convenient excuse on the part of Trump and it happens to be untrue. Tillis speaking publicly, says to reporters, quote, we're trying to work just to get the language. I really do believe it's just a drafting exercise. I don't believe that we're apart in terms of the objective. Tillis also stating that for him the central issue is the remaining language on the audit immunity, tax immunity deal with the irs, and then said that he thinks Cornyn is actually okay already with language that has been circulated between the sides regarding the 710176 fund being inoperative. Cornyn later in the day yesterday got so pissed off that he said, call the Department of Justice and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for. And then this is what I found to be so intriguing. Cordon actually volunteering publicly that he already sent a redline markup of a written document to Blanche at the DOJ and he doesn't understand why they don't make a decision on the markup. I can't begin to tell you how much love my Irestore Illumina face mask. It is this incredible red light therapy mask that has been working wonders with my fine lines, my crow's feet, my wrinkles. 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But we all know Blanche is not acting independently here. He never is. He's always acting at the behest of control of and direction of convicted felon Donald Trump. So who is to blame for this standoff? It's Donald Trump. Why? Because Donald Trump probably would relent on the $1.776 billion slush fund. Why? Because it was never his money to begin with. That's money that's coming out of the judgment fund, which has already been created, earmarked and placed in an appropriated space. So again, Donald Trump's not taking a ding a dent in any way. Over 1.76 billion, $776 billion. In fact, Trump's trying to take a victory lap with all of his crazy maga insurrectionist people to make it look like he's their friend, ally, and, you know, financial savior and that he's willing to fund the next insurrection Right. The tax immunity deal, though, has to be, as we can see here, the ultimate sticking point for Trump because it suggests many things. Number one, if you look at the language of the tax immunity provision, it provides immunity from any civil and criminal exposure for Trump, his family members, and his business entities for conduct that has occurred previous to the signing of that settlement agreement. But it is a little vague as to whether or not it actually includes conduct moving forward. Now, Blanche makes it seem like it's a foregone conclusion that it doesn't include conduct moving forward. And yet, why not, in the absence of confusion, agree to language that by. Listen, let me be clear. I am not advocating for this tax immunity deal at all. In fact, I don't even think it should be happening because Judge Kathleen Williams has deemed that settlement agreement to be null and void. Because there was never a controversy in the first instance because it was a collusion lawsuit brought by Trump against his own IRS and Department of Treasury. So, as a baseline, let's be clear, I don't think there's shit for Cornyn and Tillis to be haggling over with Blanche, because there's no settlement anyway. Putting that aside, I will operate in these bizarre fake parameters of there being some type of immunity deal. Why not agree to the narrow language that would cap this immunity to just conduct up until the point of the settlement agreement? Why? Because it means to me that Trump wants to continue criming 1, 2. The fact that Trump will not relent on this immunity deal means to me that there's smoke, fire, conflagration, kerosene, everything that you could be asking for, wildfires, all sorts of stuff. It means that there's something there, there that Trump doesn't want to have exposure for. I mean, he did get convicted for 34 felonies for falsification of business records. And we know for a fact that his submitted schedules and other type of statements of financial condition have been, I don't know, been deemed to be fraud, as prosecuted by New York Attorney General Tish James and her successful civil fraud lawsuit. So if you're Trump, you don't want the heat, and that's why you refuse. You refuse to relent on the immunity deal. And if I'm Todd, Blanche, and if I can step away long enough to get my head out of Trump's ass, I should be humiliated if I'm. If I'm Todd Blanche. Right? Because it means to me that my holy savior, cult leader, amazing man. I love you so much, sir. Donald Trump doesn't love Tom Blanch enough to give him the job. One obstacle, it's Donald Trump. The obstacle isn't Blanche. The obstacle is not Todd Blanche. I don't think there's anything redeeming about Todd Blanche, but the obstacle here in getting Todd Blanche out of Senate Judiciary. And then let's be clear, he may get out of Senate Judiciary, but then he's got to freaking get out and, and get all of that U.S. senate to be able to approve him too. Well, just the winning numbers. But if I'm Tom Blanche, I'd be, I think, backside her a little bit about this, right? I feel like, oh my God, I love you so much, but you don't love me enough to give me this job. I've, I've shown you. I've shown you, master, how much I'm willing to do for you, how much I'm willing to give up for you, how much I'm willing to allow all of my ethics and my integrity and in my pride and my self respect and my professional discipline to be put aside to the wind, cast to the wind for you. But you don't love me enough to get me out of Senate Judiciary. Intriguing. Cornyn, calling it for what it is. Quote, I can see why Trump wants it because it provides immunity from audits no other taxpayer would get. Amen. John Cornyn. Keep it up, my friend. Showing that you got balls and we need that right now. Now here's the legal wrinkles that I wanted to make sure that we definitely address in this episode because there may be some of you out there that are like, oh, well, if Todd Blanche doesn't make out of Senate Judiciary, then we're, we're rid and free of Todd Blanche. Nope. Wrong. So back on March 5th of 2025, you may not remember this, but Todd Blanche was Senate confirmed as the Deputy Attorney General by way of a 5246 vote. And he later became the Acting Attorney General in April of this year, 2026, when Pam and Jo with the bad hair got tanked, fired, jettisoned by convicted felon Donald Trump. Now, why is this an important data point? Because Todd Blanche has already been Senate confirmed. There is a legal school of thought that is held by a lot of people that I think are smarter than me. Lawyers, scholars, legal scholars. That school of thought is because Todd Blanche was Senate confirmed back in March of 2025 that he could continue to serve as the Acting Attorney General while that position of Attorney General remains vacant and that it wouldn't violate the federal vacancies reform act, which is a law you've heard a lot here at Katie Fang News when we've talked about it in the context of Lindsey Halligan, Alina Haba, insurance lawyer, parking lot lawyer extraordinaire, and others. The violations of the FVRA resulted in their appointments, Halligan, Haba and others being deemed to not be legal. But in this instance with Blanche, the prevailing theory here is that Blanche could continue to serve indefinitely as the acting Attorney General. Which is why Trump is saying in his Truth Social post, I can pull his nomination because it hasn't failed yet, and he can continue to serve as the acting AG. And then once Cornyn and Tillis are gone, the coast is clear. I'll put Blanche back into the mix. Now, Cornyn again saying in his own tweet here, if Trump thinks that it's just me until us that have issues over this immunity thing, he's got another thing coming. 28 US code section 508 speaks to vacancies, and it speaks to specifically vacancies in the Office of the Attorney General. And it says basically in the case of a vacancy in the Office of Attorney General, the Deputy AG may exercise all the duties of that office. And for the purpose of section 3345 of title 5, the Deputy Attorney General is the first assistant to the Attorney General. So what does that mean in layman's terms? It means Pam Bondi was the Attorney general when she was the Attorney General, her deputy was Todd Blanch. Pam Bondi got fired. Pammy Jo's out. So who serves now as the acting Attorney General pursuant to section 508? Todd Blanche, who was the deputy Attorney General. And because Todd Blanche was Senate confirmed, it means that he can continue to serve as the acting Attorney General because there is a vacancy in the Office of Attorney General. And that is why Todd Blanche is exercising, quote, all the duties of that office. And so here we are. We don't have a new date yet from Senate Judiciary, but what you can do is you can call and show your support to Cornyn and Tillis and tell them to hold the line again, there is no deal because there's no settlement agreement because there was a bullshit collusive lawsuit brought by Donald Trump. But if Cornyn and Tillis want to operate under this flawed idea that there is a total fiction in law and fact happening, whatever. But it'll block Blanche. Let's just do it. Let's continue to block Blanche. In the meantime. 3:00pm Eastern, Todd Blanch, that's his deadline in my lawsuit to roll up and hang out with Judge Emmett Sullivan. And Tom Blanche has to bring unredacted emails and documents. Specific ones. And he has to show his work. He has to prove that he's not lying about the redactions. This day remains a big day. Be mad, be outraged, man. Accountability. I'll catch you guys in just a little bit once we see what happens. At 3 o', clock, I'm off to rattle cages. Katie Feng here. We launched the Katie Fang News Channel in partnership with the Midas Touch Network, so we could bring you the latest in legal and political news. Straight, no chaser. So if you're a fellow truth teller, hit that subscribe button and share the word about this channel so we can build a high information America together.
Sidebar with Katie Phang — July 30, 2026
In this episode, host Katie Phang offers an incisive, candid breakdown of the political and legal drama surrounding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s embattled nomination to become the official U.S. Attorney General under Donald Trump. Phang unpacks the sharp, high-stakes conflict between Trump loyalists and key Senate Republicans, the explosive details underlying the stalled confirmation, and why the fight signals much deeper concerns about the rule of law and Trump’s own legal exposure. With sharp commentary and firsthand legal insight, Phang dissects the latest developments and what they mean for the future of the Department of Justice.
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Phang maintains her signature direct, unsparing tone, blending rigorous legal analysis with sharp critique, acerbic humor, and clear skepticism toward Trump and his allies. She frequently refers to Trump as a “convicted felon,” signals the broader threat to rule of law, and frames the ongoing standoff as reflective of deep dysfunction and potential corruption within the current administration.
Bottom Line:
This episode delivers a deep, urgent analysis of the political and legal battle over Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche for Attorney General, revealing how Senate Republicans’ refusal to rubber-stamp the nomination exposes rifts within the GOP, deepening concerns about White House ethics, and leaves Trump scrambling to protect his own legal interests. The drama is far from over, and the fate of the Department of Justice — and possibly the rule of law itself — hangs in the balance.