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Republicans online are raging at two turncoat red-state Senators who are obstructing the confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to take on the role permanently after just a few years ago endorsing and voting for former President Joe Biden’s pick for the same position.
Outgoing Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are threatening to block Blanche’s confirmation, despite backing former Attorney General Merrick Garland when Biden tapped him for the same role. At the time of Garland’s confirmation, both Republican senators characterized the polarizing figure as experienced and bipartisan, and swore he would be a responsible leader of Department of Justice (DOJ).
But during Biden’s presidency, Garland oversaw a DOJ that twice indicted Trump, prosecuted pro-life activists under an obscure federal law and investigated traditional Catholics as potential violent extremists, all moves that conservative critics argue were politically motivated.
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“I think I am prepared to vote no, but I do think I owe it to my constituents and to Mr. Blanche to try to negotiate in good faith,” Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill regarding his threat to block Trump’s pick. “And that’s what we’ve been doing. And so we’ll see where things are this morning and see where we go from here.”
The perceived hypocrisy of Cornyn and Tillis was not lost on online critics who raged against their move to block Blanche for ascending to the Attorney General post as Trump threatened to pull his nomination until after the two Republicans are out of office in January.
“Both Tillis and Cornyn voted to confirm Garland and then sat back idly as a weaponized DOJ/FBI destroyed lives for purely partisan reasons,” said Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project. “The Anti-Weaponization Fund would begin to right the wrongs and that is why they oppose Todd Blanche. Pitiful.”
Columnist Mark Davis also recalled the pair voting for Garland.
“As John Cornyn and Thom Tillis high-five each other in their attempt to block Trump’s AG pick Todd Blanche, never forget that they both voted to confirm Merrick Garland,” he said.
“Pretty incredible that John Cornyn is proving us exactly correct about him after he lost his primary by close to 30 points. Everything we said about him is being proven 1000 percent correct,” said Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle.
Prominent commentator Julie Kelly mocked Cornyn for a 2021 speech he made in favor of Garland’s confirmation.
“Flashback to when John Cornyn gave a full throated endorsement of Merrick Garland so he could ‘depoliticize’ the DOJ,” she said, adding video of the speech.
A popular commentary account that boasts nearly three million followers posted the same video.
“This is exactly why Texas republicans [sic] fired incumbent Cornyn,” the account said. “He votes to approve Garland but refuses to support Todd Blanche. Merrick Garland was the most corrupt lawfare AG is U.S. history.”
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During Garland’s confirmation, the Texas senator, who lost his primary election in a runoff landslide in June, raved about Garland whom he painted as an objective, apolitical nominee.
“This morning I had a very good conversation with judge Merrick Garland, who President Biden has nominated for attorney general,” Cornyn said at the time. “Judge Garland’s extensive legal experience makes him well-suited to lead the Department of Justice, and I appreciated his commitment to keep politics out of the Justice Department.”
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Tillis said at the time of Garland’s confirmation that Garland, “has an outstanding record serving our country and has a deep understanding of the law,” raving about his reputation for “bipartisanship” and later adding that he had “no doubt he will serve with integrity” and “will respect the constitutional rights and liberties of all Americans.”
But earlier this month, the North Carolina senator warned Blanche not to make the same “mistakes that the Biden administration did” if confirmed, referring to the politicization that he Garland would avoid.
Tillis decided last year not to run for reelection. Cornyn, meanwhile, lost his Republican primary race against former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was backed by President Trump.
Trump on Thursday blasted the two outgoing Republican senators.
“Todd Blanche is a STAR, and everyone knows it! He has the potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time,” Trump said on TRUTH Social. “However, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both of whom I refused to Endorse, and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this Great Nominee, who will remain, in any event, as Acting.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Cornyn and Tillis’ offices but did not hear back by time of publication.
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