What did Donald Trump do today?

He pretended he didn't care that Senate Republicans are resisting installing his criminal fixer as attorney general.

Trump floated the idea of pulling his nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general on social media today, gloating over the role he played in ending the Senate careers of two Republicans, Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX), who oppose Blanche. The specific issue that Cornyn and Tillis cited for withholding their support was that as acting attorney general, Blanche—apparently on orders from Trump—is refusing to put in writing the promise he's made not to create a slush fund for "victims" of prosecution for political violence, including the Jan. 6th insurrection. The two senators also oppose Blanche's plan to grant Trump and his family permanent immunity from any prosecution for tax crimes.

Prior to the resignation of Trump's previous attorney general, Pam Bondi—who was also a former private Trump defense attorney—Blanche was best known for his "interview" as a deputy attorney general with convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. In that meeting, Blanche gave Maxwell criminal immunity in exchange for her answers to a series of carefully worded questions, some of which were obviously designed to provide an alibi for Trump himself. Maxwell obliged by saying that she had never directly, personally witnessed Trump behaving inappropriately with children. She was then immediately, and in violation of Bureau of Prison rules, transferred to a "resort-style" minimum security prison where her privileges—unusual even for this prison—include custom meals and interaction with therapy puppies.

(Relatedly, the Senate voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a nonbinding resolution demanding that Trump not pardon Maxwell or commute her sentence. Under normal circumstances, Senate Republicans would have killed the resolution without a vote as a political stunt—but there is genuine bipartisan anxiety that Trump will actually cut a deal with Maxwell in exchange for her silence about what he knew of Epstein's child sex trafficking ring.)

The reality is that simply by refusing to nominate anyone else, Trump can keep Blanche in charge of the Department of Justice indefinitely. Blanche's authority in the acting role is not meaningfully different than it would be if it were confirmed. But the fact that it's two lame duck Republican senators with nothing left to lose politically who are standing up to Trump suggests a dangerous weakness in Trump's position. Without the full support and political cover of the Republican Party, Trump is in grave danger of losing what control he has left over his presidency and, ultimately, his ability to stay a free man if he voluntarily departs office. Gambling on the support of two new Republican senators who will be politically beholden to him may be the best option in terms of maintaining his authority with a Republican Party that is increasingly angry with how he is dragging them down in the polls.

But that only works if Tillis and Cornyn are replaced by other Republicans, and that is very doubtful. Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina, is posting nearly 10-point leads over his Republican opponent. In Texas, normally a solidly red state, Democratic state senator James Talarico has a 5-point lead in the latest poll over Ken Paxton, a staunch Trump ally with a criminal record, an impeachment by the Republican-led Texas legislature, and credible allegations that he has been voting in a precinct where he doesn't live.

In a response today, Cornyn responded that he and Tillis are not the only Republicans who have said they won't vote for Blanche.

Why does this matter?

• The only reason to refuse to promise to create a slush fund to reward people who commit political violence on your behalf is that you intend to create a slush fund to reward people who commit political violence on your behalf. 

• The Attorney General of the United States is supposed to represent the people and government, not protect Donald Trump from them, no matter what Trump or Todd Blanche may think.  

• Senators don't block a nominee from their own party, whom they'd voted for in a similar capacity less than two years ago, without an obvious reason.