Outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), defeated in May's GOP primary by a Trump-endorsed opponent, is leveraging his "newfound political freedom."
Punchbowl News reported Monday that Cornyn aims to extract concessions from the White House or obstruct its agenda.
Cornyn's primary target is shuttering the Trump administration's $1.7 billion anti-weaponization fund, which provides payouts to those claiming unfair targeting by former President Joe Biden's Justice Department.
Cornyn suggested Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation could be jeopardized unless the White House capitulates on the fund.
"If they want to get [Blanche] out of the committee, I think they realize they need to talk to us," Cornyn said.
Already freed from primary threats, Cornyn previously leveraged ambassador nominees to secure international AIDS relief funding commitments.
He promised, "You ain't seen nothing yet," according to Punchbowl News.
Cornyn joins growing GOP "apostates," or ousted lawmakers with nothing to lose by opposing Trump, according to The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty.
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