{"id":6894,"date":"2026-07-15T19:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6894"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:00:51","slug":"the-brief-the-future-of-trumps-retribution-campaign-goes-before-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6894","title":{"rendered":"The Brief: The Future of Trump\u2019s Retribution Campaign Goes Before Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-bb3870fb-8c09-43db-9d60-c59b0d96c3fc\">Todd Blanche and Jay Clayton Are on the Hill<\/h2>\n<p>Two figures who will play decisive roles in the future of the Trump retribution and election-meddling agenda will be on Capitol Hill for their Senate confirmation hearings today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche will be before the Judiciary Committee for hearings Wednesday and Thursday. And Jay Clayton \u2014 Trump\u2019s nominee for Director of National Intelligence and the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York \u2014 will be before the Intelligence Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Blanche, Trump\u2019s former personal lawyer, has since January 2025 played a central role in a DOJ that has become a tool of the president in a way not seen in recent American history. The Trump II Department has been defined by its attempts to target the president\u2019s perceived enemies, which were reinvigorated around the time Blanche was seeking Trump\u2019s nomination: that period saw the indictment of former FBI director James Comey over his sea shells picture, and the settlement creating a slush fund that could be used to pay the president\u2019s allies. A federal judge, <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/where-things-stand\/judge-orders-sanctions-against-blanche-says-trump-tried-to-manipulate-the-judicial-process-with-irs-settlement\" target=\"_blank\">in an extraordinary decision<\/a>, this week found that case to be a manipulation of the judicial process, with Trump\u2019s own government on both ends of the suit.<\/p>\n<p>New examples of DOJ politicization continued to emerge in the days before the hearing: the DOJ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/14\/us\/politics\/trump-subpoenas-law-firms-epshteyn-aba.html\" target=\"_blank\">sent subpoenas to law firms<\/a> about the deals the White House struck with them last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/morning-memo\/trump-shoots-messenger-for-exposing-his-air-force-one-fiasco\" target=\"_blank\">sent subpoenas to the New York Times<\/a> about its reporting on Trump\u2019s Qatari-donated Air Force One, and <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/morning-memo\/trump-admin-aims-new-threats-at-states-over-election-rules\" target=\"_blank\">threatened to prosecute state election officials<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Blanche\u2019s confirmation is likely, but not assured. The committee has some Republican skeptics: Two senators who owe the end of their careers to Trump, Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX), have said they want answers from Blanche on the slush fund. Tillis has also said he will press Blanche to condemn January 6.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear, of course, whether these senators would truly withhold their vote \u2014 and endure Trump and his supporters\u2019 wrath \u2014 regardless of what Blanche says. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s less suspense around Clayton\u2019s nomination for intelligence chief. After the Bill Pulte experience \u2014 he\u2019s currently overseeing a review of thousands of documents to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/trump-allegations-2020-election-interference-thursday-speech-rcna587508\" target=\"_blank\">substantiate Trump\u2019s conspiracy theories about the 2020 election<\/a> \u2014 senators seem to feel eager to get someone passingly normal in the role. That relief may be ill-founded: Clayton has done his own part to display his loyalty to Trump in recent weeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/07\/14\/jay-clayton-nyt-subpoenas-national-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\">signing off on the subpoenas<\/a> to the New York Times and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/video\/2026\/06\/08\/watch-cnbcs-full-interview-with-u-s-attorney-for-southern-district-of-new-york-jay-clayton.html\" target=\"_blank\">expressing frustration<\/a> with California\u2019s slow but very normal ballot counting process. Given the way in which both Tulsi Gabbard and Pulte have weaponized the DNI role, turning it dramatically from the purpose Congress intended for it, senators should have some tough questions for Clayton \u2014 even if his ultimate confirmation is in little doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-0e8b3af4-2104-4f0d-bce4-915f7d2ebd5a\"><strong>This Month\u2019s Iran War Is Totally Different From The Iran War We Did Earlier This Year, White House Insists<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\">\n<h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"452\" width=\"804\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1552200\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=804,452 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=1000,563 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=800,450 800w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286050830.jpg?resize=533,300 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 804px) 100vw, 804px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">IRAN \u2013 JULY 13: In this handout footage provided by the U.S Department of Defense, U.S. sea drones strike a submarine and a ship maintenance facility on July 13, 2026 in an undisclosed area of Iran. (Handout photo by U.S. Department of Defense via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The much-discussed 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/the-iran-war-and-the-war-powers-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\">has become something of a punchline<\/a>, one that the Trump administration re-upped this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Under the law, if the executive branch begins hostilities, it starts a 60-day clock. By the 60-day point, the president has to either obtain authorization from Congress or end the operation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Iran War has seen the White House try to skirt this law through semantics, first insisting there was no war and <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/news\/experts-brush-off-hegseth-trumps-latest-arguments-for-blowing-through-todays-war-powers-deadline\" target=\"_blank\">later insisting the ceasefire halted the war<\/a>, despite the fact that troops remained in the region and that, every few days, the ceasefire collapsed into fighting.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Now that the ceasefire has thoroughly and resoundingly ended, Trump this week sent a notification to Congress that the U.S. was again at war with Iran. To be clear: a new war. A new clock. Or so they seem to claim.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Some news outlets went with the White House framing on this, writing that the administration gets another 60-day clock for military action. That is, shall we say, a generous framing of the issue.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Another perspective came from a go-to scholar on this stuff for TPM, Brian Finucune. \u201cThe point of these reports is to support the fiction that somehow these strikes are distinct hostilities governed by a different clock under the WPR,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bcfinucane.bsky.social\/post\/3mqkzabd6cc2h\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>At stake here, of course, is whether Congress retains its constitutional authority to declare war \u2014 a division of power that has rarely been observed in practice. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-074c1722-69fc-401c-bb97-fd9c39779663\">Tabs<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/news\/trump-speech-thursday-election-2020-interference\" target=\"_blank\">MS Now<\/a> confirms Trump\u2019s big speech tomorrow will delve heavily into election conspiracy theories based on his administration\u2019s new review of documents. It notes that the material is being gathered by Pulte and right-wing journalist John Solomon.<\/li>\n<li>Even other Republican senators are <a href=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/where-things-stand\/republican-senators-are-maga-conspiracy-theorists-now\" target=\"_blank\">embracing conspiracy theories<\/a> about their colleagues Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, write Kate Riga and Nicole LaFond for TPM.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-33f0fbeb-1382-4101-8903-e5813de72ae6\"><strong>Woman of the Hour<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorCollins\/status\/2077055577297916310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s Sen. Susan Collins (R-NE), trumpeting as her doing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/immigration\/2026\/07\/14\/ice-halts-most-traffic-stop-arrests-wake-fatal-shootings\/\" target=\"_blank\">a reported administration decision<\/a> to halt most ICE traffic stops after a 26-year-old father was killed by federal agents in her state \u2014 a tragedy inevitably interpreted through the lens of the midterms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h2-19636758-c5f3-4bbe-a788-3a2bbba026af\"><strong>Are We At War?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Still at war.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n        appId: \"101800829865996\",\n        xfbml: true,\n        version: ' v2.6'\n      });\n      window.fbAsyncInit.__didInit = true;\n    };\n    (function(d, s, id) {\n      var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n      if (d.getElementById(id)) {\n        return;\n      }\n      js = d.createElement(s);\n      js.id = id;\n      js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n      fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n  <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Todd Blanche and Jay Clayton Are on the Hill Two figures who will play decisive roles in the future of the Trump retribution and election-meddling agenda will be on Capitol Hill for their Senate confirmation hearings today.\u00a0 Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche will be before the Judiciary Committee for hearings Wednesday and Thursday. And Jay&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285514917.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}