‘Pathetic’: Fury as Senate Republican 'blinks' first in 'kabuki standoff' with Trump

Systemic Error Podcast · Sep 1, 2026 · 3m

Trump Sets the Terms, Cornyn Performs ResistancePower Was Never SharedThis was not a real showdown. Donald Trump was pressing Senate Republicans to confirm his acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and John Cornyn tried to cast himself as a gatekeeper by threatening to withhold support unless the White House gave up a $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund” tied to payouts for Capitol rioters and a settlement shielding Trump and his family from the IRS. The reporting shows who actually held the leverage: Trump, through his grip on the party and the nomination process. Cornyn was playing at…