On Sunday, Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to pledge that the Justice Department would operate independently from the White House during his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The Attorney General is supposed to be the lawyer for the American people, not the president’s personal lawyer, but Blanche’s own record demonstrates that he still thinks his client is Donald Trump.
In response, the Not Above the Law coalition co-chairs Lisa Gilbert, Praveen Fernandes, Kelsey Herbert, and Brett Edkins issued the following statement:
“Todd Blanche went on national television and refused to promise the Justice Department will act independently of Donald Trump. He then tried to downplay this by saying the president will never ask him to do something ‘unethical or illegal.’ Blanche’s record suggests a different story. The Senate confirmed him anyway. Every Republican senator who voted to confirm Blanche now owns every voter roll he tries to seize, every taxpayer dollar that goes to a settlement with a January 6th defendant, and every corrupt act that tells the country exactly who he answers to.”
Here’s what Blanche said, and why it matters:
BLANCHE REFUSED TO PLEDGE THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL ACT INDEPENDENTLY OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
When Kristen Welker asked whether he could pledge the DOJ will always act independently of the White House, Blanche answered: “No, I’m not going to pledge that, and no attorney general should ever pledge that.” Blanche insisted Trump would never pull him aside and ask him to do something illegal, calling that idea “completely a false narrative, not true, will not happen, and hasn’t happened.”
BLANCHE’S OWN RECORD CONTRADICTS HIM.
Blanche claims Trump has never urged him to cross an ethical or legal line, but the facts suggest a different story. DOJ ethics officials told Blanche to recuse from any matter involving Trump personally. Yet Blanche signed the May 19 addendum that purports to shield Trump, his family, and his businesses from IRS audits anyway. After Trump publicly called for the prosecutions of James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff last September, declaring them “guilty as hell” and demanding “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” theDOJ went on to charge both Comey and James.
BLANCHE WON’T RULE OUT TAKING THE ADMINISTRATION’S VOTER ROLL FIGHT TO THE SUPREME COURT, EVEN AFTER LOSING 22 CASES.
The Justice Department has sued roughly 30 states to obtain unredacted voter rolls, including voters’ names, dates of birth, residential addresses, state driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, under an executive order Trump signed demanding the data to check for noncitizen registration. Federal courts have sided against the administration in 22 of those cases so far, including a Nevada ruling Friday that state officials called a victory for voters’ privacy. Asked whether the DOJ would appeal to the Supreme Court, Blanche said, “Absolutely, it’s a possibility.”