The Exchange
The moment came during a television interview when Blanche was asked whether the department would always act independently of the White House.
"No, I'm not going to pledge that," Blanche said. "And no attorney general should ever pledge that."
Pressed on whether Trump should have a voice in individual prosecutions, Blanche answered "yes, of course."
"The president of the United States, the elected president of the United States, says something to me," he said. "And I'm supposed to say to you, 'I would say no.' I mean, that's not the way it works."
A "False Narrative," and a Public Record
Blanche called it an "extraordinarily false narrative" that Trump tells him, "Go prosecute X or Y." The president's own public statements complicate that defense, because Trump regularly broadcasts whom he wants prosecuted.
Last September, Trump called for prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Sen. Adam Schiff, writing: "They're all guilty as hell. ... JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"
The DOJ charged Comey and James, though a judge dismissed those cases. Prosecutors later charged Comey again over a social media post they say threatened Trump. Comey has asked the judge to dismiss that case too.
This month, Trump told DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit a vandalism case she had dropped after evidence showed the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from a flawed installation, not vandals.
"The President Loves Disagreement"
Blanche offered his own counterweight in a separate Sunday interview, saying Trump "would expect me to tell him no" when they disagree on the law.
"The president loves disagreement," he said.
A Rocky First Week
The Sunday interviews capped Blanche's first week as attorney general after a razor-thin 50-49 Senate confirmation. Days after being sworn in, he warmed up the crowd for Trump at a Long Island event boosting Republican candidates.
His nomination nearly collapsed over a Trump-IRS settlement that created a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. Senators warned that people prosecuted for the January 6 attack, including those who assaulted police, could seek payouts from it. Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis withheld their support until Blanche rescinded the order.
On Sunday, Blanche confirmed the fund is dead, but would not rule out January 6 defendants receiving money through the government's standard claims process.
He Has Said This Before
Sunday was not a slip. Blanche has rejected the idea of a wall between the DOJ and the president repeatedly.
In May, he told Congress that the department's policy direction comes from Trump: "We take them from the president." In an April podcast appearance, he criticized the notion that "somehow the Department of Justice is independent from the President of the United States. That is not true."
In written answers to Congress, he grounded the position in the Constitution: the president heads the executive branch, and the Justice Department sits within it.
The Flashback That Stings
Trump has treated alleged political influence over past attorneys general as scandalous. In 2016, he called it disgraceful that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke privately with former President Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley demanded an inspector general review, which found no evidence of political bias but called the meeting an error in judgment.
Republicans have also spent years accusing former Attorney General Merrick Garland's DOJ of political weaponization. Now the department's leader says openly that independence from the president was never real to begin with.
What Comes Next
Blanche's stance sets the terms for his tenure: prosecution decisions at the DOJ will be made with the president's views in the room. The dismissed Comey and James cases, the refiled Comey charge and the revived vandalism case give courts, and voters, an early record to judge how that works in practice.
FAQ
What did Todd Blanche refuse to pledge?
That the Justice Department would always act independently of the White House. "No, I'm not going to pledge that," he said, adding that no attorney general ever should.
Does Blanche think Trump should influence prosecutions?
He said "yes, of course" the president should have a voice in individual prosecution decisions.
Who is Todd Blanche?
Trump's former personal lawyer, confirmed as attorney general by the Senate 50-49. The Sunday interviews capped his first week in office.
What happened to the "anti-weaponization" fund?
The $1.776 billion fund created by a Trump-IRS settlement was rescinded to save his nomination, but Blanche would not rule out January 6 defendants receiving money through the government's claims process.
Has the DOJ acted on Trump's prosecution demands before?
The department charged James Comey and Letitia James after Trump publicly called for their prosecutions. A judge dismissed those cases, and prosecutors later charged Comey again.
