Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have said they will oppose the permanent confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, prompting criticism from conservative commentators and allies of President Donald Trump. The dispute matters because their opposition could complicate Trump’s effort to install Blanche at the Justice Department and has become part of wider tensions within the Republican Party.

The article contrasts the senators’ stance with their earlier support for Merrick Garland, whom they confirmed as attorney general after President Joe Biden nominated him. Cornyn and Tillis are both described as outgoing senators from reliably Republican states, while the report frames their resistance as a break with the administration and a source of growing pressure from Trump supporters.