GOP senator opens up new front in war against Trump nominees: 'Take me at my word'

Fresh off forcing the Trump administration to drop its politically motivated prosecution of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is now deploying his Senate Judiciary Committee leverage to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's permanent nomination unless the administration abandons any tolerance for Jan. 6 apologism.

According to Politico's Jordain Carney, Tillis holds extraordinary power over the confirmation process. Republicans have a one-vote advantage on the Judiciary Committee, giving Tillis an effective veto over any nominee he opposes.

Tillis issued his ultimatum directly. "Hopefully they'll take me at my word when I say anybody who equivocated on the Jan. 6 rioters, I just can't support," the North Carolina Republican said about potential Justice Department nominees.

The warning extends to anyone Trump nominates as attorney general to replace Pam Bondi. "Every single member of the conference has the same option," Tillis said, urging his GOP colleagues to adopt similar standards.

Tillis has already demonstrated he's willing to execute this strategy. He previously blocked Ed Martin's U.S. attorney nomination because of Martin's comments defending Jan. 6 rioters and his legal work on their behalf, the report notes.

"I'll scrub it when a nominee comes forward, and I'll apply the Martin standard," Tillis said of any pick to succeed Bondi. "By the way, I don't think Martin is employed by the DOJ anymore, either, is he?" — a pointed reference suggesting the administration may have quietly pushed Martin out to avoid further Tillis obstruction.

Tillis dismissed other GOP senators' approach to obstruction as ineffective. "I've seen people do silly things like blanket holds and stuff like that that are not sustainable," he said, contrasting his principled stand with performative opposition.