Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Wednesday weighed in on speculation that he’s trying to get payback on Donald Trump by defying him after he was primaried out by a candidate backed by the president.

Cornyn — one of two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who withheld support Wednesday for Todd Blanche’s nomination to be Trump’s attorney general — was asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if not running for reelection has “freed” him up to be more “independent” of the president.

“Would you acknowledge that?” Raju asked.

“Have you noticed?” Cornyn replied.

Raju: You would acknowledge not having to run for reelection anymore has freed you up to be more independent from the president. Would you acknowledge that?Cornyn: Have you noticed? pic.twitter.com/ux2H1l7Mag

The clip comes after Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is not seeking reelection, expressed that the administration hasn’t met its demands for written assurance that it will kill the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee has since postponed a Thursday vote on Blanche’s nomination.

Trump suggested to reporters Wednesday that Cornyn was “upset” he didn’t endorse him in a May runoff election for his Senate seat against challenger and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Cornyn’s loss sets an end date for his four-term run in the Senate.

At the time, Trump praised Paxton’s loyalty to him and the MAGA movement before noting that Cornyn, while “a good man,” wasn’t supportive of him when “times were tough.”

Since the endorsement, Cornyn — who seemingly tried to appease Trump in the lead-up to the primary — has used his vote as leverage to help reimburse his state’s border security spending and to pressure the White House into releasing over $270 million in funds for a global HIV/AIDS prevention initiative.

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