Topline
Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to pledge the Justice Department would act independently from the White House, telling “Meet the Press†host Kristen Welker he would take President Donald Trump's direction into account, but also promising the president would “never†ask him to cross an ethical or legal boundary.
In a “Meet the Press†interview on Sunday, Blanche promised the Justice Department would “act with integrity†under his leadership.
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Key Facts
The recently confirmed attorney general, who previously was Trump's personal defense attorney, claimed in a convoluted example that pledging independence from the White House would mean denying the president if he requested the Justice Department to “go after every violent criminal in this country.â€
Blanche instead promised to “act with integrity†and will “prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.â€
When asked if he would refuse a request from Trump that crosses an ethical or legal line, Blanche only insisted “the president would never ask me to do something unethical or illegal, he never has, he never will,†calling the idea a “false narrative.â€
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“There's a big difference between saying ‘we will always do our job and investigate any case and act independently of the White House'—no, I'm not going to pledge that, and no attorney general should ever pledge that,†Blanche told Welker in an interview on Sunday morning.
What Did Blanche Say About the ‘Anti-Weaponization' Fund?
The Senate narrowly confirmed Blanche earlier this month, after several Republicans on the fence about his nomination, including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., approved his bid following assurances he would not try to revive the administration's controversial “anti-weaponization fund.†The proposed $1.776 billion fund was announced after Trump dropped his lawsuit against the IRS, and would have been used to pay out people who said they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department—including former defendants from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. On Sunday, Blanche again reiterated that the anti-weaponization fund was not coming back. “I've said repeatedly, it's dead,†Blanche told Welker, adding “there is no fund, no money went from the Treasury to any account, there were no commissioners established. There is no fund, there will be no fund.†But Blanche refused to guarantee that Jan. 6 rioters would not receive any compensation from the federal government, insisting “anybody who sues the federal government could get paid†and he wouldn't comment on any hypothetical cases. “There is a process in place, where if you believe you had a tort committed against you by the federal government—whether it's slipping on ice outside of a federal post office, or a law enforcement officer assaulting you, you are allowed to seek compensation,†the attorney general added. However, the Justice Department argued earlier this month that federal tort claims filed by former Jan. 6 defendants were barred under federal law —claiming they were not filed before the statute of limitations of two years ran out in January 2023, MS NOW reported.
Tangent
Blanche also weighed in on one of the more controversial prosecutions in recent months—the charges of destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, which were dropped earlier this month. Trump immediately contradicted U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she dropped the case, and even reportedly considered firing the former Fox News host. On Sunday, Blanche said he “absolutely†supported Pirro, as did the president. “Now that's different than whether the president is extraordinarily frustrated at what happened in that case, and I don't in any way fault him for that.†Trump has repeatedly blamed damage to the pool on vandalism, but Pirro's filing dropping the charges blamed it on a “rushed and ​flawed installation process.†On Sunday, Blanche insisted “the filings didn't say all of the damage was done by faulty construction,†and there was still “potential vandalism†at the pool. The attorney general cited the testimony of an eyewitness, but admitted “that's different from whether ultimately we have the proof.â€
Key Background
During his confirmation hearings in July, Blanche was noncommittal about distancing himself from the White House. However, when asked by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., if he was friends with Trump, he responded “I'm his lawyer,†before quickly catching himself and saying “was his lawyer.†Blanche defended Trump as his personal attorney before taking a role in government. During another exchange with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., he said the president “trusts me to give him counsel,†but later insisted “counsel does not mean I’m a yes man.â€
