As printed
“There’s nothing to stop the regime from beginning to block the Strait of Hormuz again.”
On the record · Updated October 1, 2026
John Cornyn quotes
R-Texas
51 things John Cornyn said, verbatim, from March 27, 2026 to September 29, 2026, each linked to where it ran. Grouped by the story each one belongs to.
Also appeared as: Sen. John Cornyn
27stories
51statements
Sep 29latest entry
More on the record
John Cornyn on The Middle East3
As printed
“History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea.”
on funding tied to Iran talks
NBC News Politics JD Vance no longer traveling to Switzerland for Iran talks ›
As printed
“I would encourage them to continue to take the fight to Hezbollah, because, unfortunately, now Iran is going to have hundreds of millions of dollars to support its terrorist proxies, including Hezbollah,”
on Iran gaining funds from the deal that could reach Hezbollah
Politics - CBSNews.com Facing bipartisan criticism of Iran deal, Trump lashes out at "fools" ›
John Cornyn on Ukraine & Russia1
As printed
“As the president told President Zelensky when he was in his office a year or so ago — he said, ‘You don’t have any cards.’ Well, we’ve got some cards to play.”
Breitbart News Nolte: Bitter and Defeated John Cornyn Crybabies Out the Door to NY Times ›
John Cornyn on Foreign policy & the world5
As printed
“This is one of the really important elements of our soft power too, because America needs friends in Africa,”
As printed
“The only way it seems like you can get the administration’s attention on some of these funding issues is by using the leverage to withhold votes on nominees,”
on Cornyn withholding nominee votes to pressure the administration on foreign aid funding
The Daily Wire John Cornyn Threatens To Sink Trump Nominees Over Foreign Aid Cuts ›
As printed
“We are going to use the committee vote tomorrow as a way to…. Get the money distributed the way Congress appropriated it.”
on Cornyn using a committee vote to force release of appropriated foreign aid funds
The Daily Wire John Cornyn Threatens To Sink Trump Nominees Over Foreign Aid Cuts ›
As printed
“I mean, he's a leader of a country that he's made a much better country, much more powerful country. You see it— I mean, it's beautiful, you get off, the roads are beautiful, it's an amazing thing. No, I have no concerns about anything having to do with Turkey.”
Politics - CBSNews.com Trump weighs allowing Turkey to have F-35s as NATO summit begins ›
As printed
“We're not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”
on Senate Republicans rejecting a war powers resolution after Trump criticized them
PBS NewsHour - Politics Senate Republicans reject war powers resolution after Trump berates them at Capitol meeting ›
John Cornyn on National security & surveillance1
As printed
“They are running short of funding they need in order to acquire the weapons and messages and things like that that they need to protect the nation,”
on Trump's Defense Production Act order to boost weapons manufacturing
Politics - CBSNews.com Trump invokes Defense Production Act to boost weapons manufacturing ›
John Cornyn on Government spending & shutdowns2
As printed
“I don’t believe there is anything we could do to assuage them at this point. . . . That’s one of those things that cannot be remedied by a ‘no’ vote.”
As printed
“We did the best we could do,”
on Cornyn conceding the Blanche deal fell short of scrapping the fund outright
MSNBC How Cornyn and Tillis’ deal on Blanche falls short of their demands ›
John Cornyn on Campaigns & elections9
As printed
“Promising the moon and stars and yet destining Republicans for failure is a very effective way to demoralize our base and elect more Democrats in the midterms,”
on Trump's SAVE America Act risking Republican losses in the midterms
MSNBC Republicans say it’s time Trump change course on the SAVE America Act ›
As printed
“If we're going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,”
As printed
“We’ve learned some lessons. If you support the president, it doesn’t mean he’s going to support you. Part of the problem is people who are up in 2028 are thinking, ‘Holy crap, could this happen to me?’”
on GOP senators up in 2028 fearing Trump could turn on them
CNN Trump is growing tired of hearing ‘no’ from Thune. GOP senators are lining up behind the majority leader ›
As printed
“And I don't see things changing a lot between now and November.”
on expecting little political change before the November elections
As printed
“The poll numbers that I'm seeing are not very encouraging,”
As printed
“@LeaderJohnThune can’t change that. It is math. Try focusing on Democrats instead of Republicans. Republican on Republican attacks are hurting our chances to win the majority in November,”
Breitbart News Mike Lee Fires Back After Cornyn Says SAVE America Act 'Not Gonna Happen' ›
As printed
“I had really thought that we’d gone on so long with no endorsement that he was just going to stay out of it,”
Latest Political News on Fox News Cornyn predicts Trump midterm 'disaster,' then 'the most miserable two years of his life' ›
As printed
“His professional failures and indefensible personal conduct make GOP donors and Texas primary voters deeply uncomfortable.”
As printed
“Ken Paxton said he needed $20M to win this primary and he’s barely raised a quarter of that,”
John Cornyn on Democracy & voting rights1
As printed
“Mike, I am a co-sponsor and have repeatedly voted for this but you don’t have the votes,”
on the SAVE America Act after Mike Lee pushed for a vote
Breitbart News Mike Lee Fires Back After Cornyn Says SAVE America Act 'Not Gonna Happen' ›
John Cornyn on Corruption & scandal10
As printed
“Well, there’s nothing we could do to rein in the president when he said he likes the fund and he wishes it still exists. But the fact of the matter is, it’s dead. And that’s all we could do under these circumstances.”
on Trump's anti-weaponization fund and limits on reining him in
Breitbart News Padilla: Trump Will Create a New Anti-Weaponization Fund the Day After the Election ›
As printed
“What it suggests to me is they are looking for an out to do something different than what Todd Blanche testified to at his hearing,”
As printed
“Well, I like to think that, you know, in matters of principle like this, my position would be the same. But obviously, it provides a measure of political freedom.”
on Cornyn saying his primary loss freed him to oppose Trump's slush fund
World Socialist Web Site Trump revives push to create slush fund for fascist rioters ›
As printed
“POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.”
MSNBC The GOP revolt over Todd Blanche is suddenly very real ›
As printed
“The fact that they’re balking at putting that in writing tells me that they were hoping to get by with this settlement agreement and his testimony and then revitalize those provisions at a later date and that’s, I don’t think, good-faith negotiations,”
NBC News Trump threatens to pull Todd Blanche’s AG nomination until after GOP holdouts leave office ›
As printed
“say the Trump administration has yet to satisfy their demands on Trump’s IRS settlement. The pair is asking Blanche to formally kill the so-called anti-weaponization fund and narrow the scope of the IRS audit immunity afforded to Trump, his family, his businesses and others under the agreement.”
MSNBC As Blanche struggles, Trump opens the door to ‘temporarily withdrawing’ his nomination ›
As printed
“We're been trying to help them get to a conclusion here and they won't let us. It's befuddling to me,”
on stalled talks with the Justice Department over the Trump-IRS settlement scope
PBS NewsHour Blanche's nomination delayed as Cornyn, Tillis seek assurances on Trump-IRS settlement ›
As printed
“The president of the United States, who is the plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to delete the weaponization fund,”
on Trump's lawsuit over deleting the IRS weaponization fund settlement
Reason.com During His Confirmation Hearing, Todd Blanche Defends Trump's Blatantly Corrupt IRS 'Settlement' ›
As printed
“attributed Mr. Trump’s election in part to a backlash against allegations of self-dealing in the prior administration,”
As printed
“the message by the voter was, ‘We don’t like this.’ We can’t replace one form of self-dealing and corruption with another.”
John Cornyn on Courts & the law12
As printed
“President Trump needs someone in this role, as well with a strong legal mind, but who also is close enough to him to give him confidential legal advice to tell him hard truths,”
on the Senate confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general
NPR Senate votes to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general ›
As printed
“Given this agreement with Mr. Blanche, I expect the department to live up to this in future litigation,”
As printed
“We need a stabilizing force at the Department of Justice, and Mr. Blanche deserves the opportunity to provide that, as opposed to continuing to serve in an acting capacity,”
As printed
“[M]y vote to advance Mr. Blanche’s nomination goes beyond this document. We need a stabilizing force at the Department of Justice, and Mr. Blanche deserves the opportunity to provide that, as opposed to continuing to serve in an acting capacity and as the deputy attorney general,”
As printed
“going to support Mr. Blanche’s nomination, but what I hope I see out of him is a bending of the curve of this absurdity.”
As printed
“I thought what Mr. Blanche said during his hearing was very important. He said, ‘I can give the president confidential legal advice, but of course, he doesn’t have to follow it. He was elected President of the United States and not me,'”
The Federalist Senate Advances Todd Blanche Nomination for Attorney General ›
As printed
“I think I am prepared to vote no, but I do think I owe it to my constituents and to Mr. Blanche to try to negotiate in good faith,”
Fox News Trump blasts rogue GOP senators for blocking Blanche nomination, vows anti-weaponization bill fight ›
As printed
“made clear from the outset that we expected some written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his organization.”
As printed
“For some reason, I don't know whether it's the staff of the DOJ or who it is, but they simply, they know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,”
As printed
“I mean, it suggests to me as they are looking for an out to do something different than what Todd Blanche testified to at his hearing, and that’s a problem,”
on suspicions officials want a different outcome than Todd Blanche's testimony
As printed
“All I want them to do is to confirm what he said in his sworn testimony before the Judiciary Committee, with regard not only to the weaponization fund, but also who is protected from future audits and what agencies of the federal government are bound by the release,”
CBS News Blanche's nomination for AG on hold over fate of DOJ's "anti-weaponization fund" ›
As printed
“It really extends beyond the parties to the lawsuit, which strikes me as a bad idea, and it also seems to extend beyond Treasury and the IRS,”
on concerns a legal settlement extends beyond the involved parties
CBS News Tillis says he won't support Blanche unless he meets with Epstein survivors ›
John Cornyn on The presidency & national symbols2
As printed
“Republicans have been deferential to the president to a point that doesn’t seem to have done any good,”
CNN Trump is growing tired of hearing ‘no’ from Thune. GOP senators are lining up behind the majority leader ›
As printed
“I think part of the problem is not President Trump, it’s us making unrealistic promises, and then when they’re not attained, then criticizing one another.”
on Senate Republicans' frustration with Trump blindsiding them and unrealistic promises
NBC News Politics Senate Republicans grow increasingly frustrated with Trump blindsiding them ›
John Cornyn on Race & civil rights1
As printed
““Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized,””
The Forward Why is Karl Rove supporting a progressive Jewish candidate in Texas? ›
John Cornyn on Other topics4
As printed
“I don't know how that would come out, but if I was running for re-election, I would vote to stay,”
As printed
“The only reason why we wouldn't move forward with this language is because that same adviser wants to bring it back to life at some point,”
As printed
“It’s not about sympathy; it’s about basically being able to function,”
As printed
“It’s going to make things harder, certainly more expensive in Texas, and make it harder around the country,”
People, on the record
Know what they argued, not just what they said.
The daily brief connects each person’s exact words to the question they addressed and the people who answered. Free.
Free to start. No spin. No yelling.
$5/month, cancel anytime. Secure on Stripe, and nothing is ever paywalled.
One-time, secure on Stripe. No account.