Attorney General Todd Blanche is taking on national attention as he signals the direction that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will take under his leadership.
Blanche, whose nomination was narrowly confirmed by the Senate just over a week ago in a 50-49 vote, defended his vision for the DOJ in two Sunday morning news show appearances, notably refusing to commit to act independently of President Trump.
“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 said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
The DOJ, despite being a part of the executive branch, has long been viewed as independent of the White House, allowing the department to make decisions without influence from the president. But Trump has openly pushed for a different relationship during his second term, often calling on the DOJ to investigate and prosecute his political rivals.
Blanche said he would “of course” take Trump’s view into consideration before acting and hoped “every attorney general in history would not answer the question differently.”
He said the president has not and will not ask him to prosecute specific individuals. Trump had previously urged Blanche’s predecessor, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, to move more quickly in prosecuting some of his adversaries.
A few key events of Blanche’s tenure have raised questions about how he would lead DOJ given his closeness to the president. Blanche previously worked as a personal attorney for Trump, starting with the “hush money” case involving Stormy Daniels, between Trump’s first and second terms as president.
Blanche had been leading the department in an acting capacity before his confirmation this month as attorney general. While doing so, Blanche has overseen the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey over an alleged threat to Trump, which Comey denies.
Blanche also approved the creation of an “anti-weaponization” fund for alleged victims of political persecutions following a settlement between Trump and the IRS over the leaking of the president’s tax returns during his first term.
Blanche reiterated Sunday that the $1.8 billion fund is “dead” and never got off the ground in the first place, noting he had rescinded his May order creating it. The fund became a central focus in Blanche’s confirmation battle, as Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas) insisted that they receive assurances in writing that the fund was not going forward in exchange for their support for his confirmation.
“No, the fund is dead or whatever word you want to use,” Blanche told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream. “It never started. So, it’s not as if the fund is coming back.”
Democrats argue loopholes remain that could allow the fund to be resurrected.
Blanche stirred controversy last week with a DOJ memo arguing the president can assert executive privilege not just in communications with White House staff but also “private advisers” outside of the government. That interpretation would seek to shield more individuals from congressional investigations, which are likely to ramp up if Democrats win back control of one or both chambers of Congress this fall.
Blanche defended the opinion, saying it was “just clarifying” an already existing one from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel.
“We have to let a president feel like he can have frank conversations with individuals and get honest feedback about running this country without the risk of it being used by him and others — like what you just heard — in a way that’s inappropriate,” he said.
Blanche also made an unusual appearance for an attorney general Friday when he appeared alongside Trump at a Friday event in New York touting a reduction in violent crime — a break with norms in which law enforcement officials keep their distance from political events. Trump and Blanche both praised Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) as he’s running for governor of New York.
