Attorney General Todd Blanche Confirms Post-Senate Acting Role, Remains Committed to Integrity
-
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday he will listen to President Trump’s advice on how to run the Department of Justice but will always act with “integrity.”
Compare 5 other versions
The HillBlanche refuses to pledge DOJ will always act independently of White House Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday did not commit to acting independently of President Trump, but he claimed the president has not and will not ask him to prosecute specific individuals. “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,…
Washington ExaminerAttorney General Todd Blanche defended U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop the Reflecting Pool vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn last month while acknowledging President Donald Trump’s frustrations with the outcome of the case.
BreitbartSunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said “of course” he will listen to President Donald Trump’s opinion on prosecutions.
The Guardian USUS attorney general Todd Blanche on Sunday declined to assure that the federal justice department he helms would always act independently of the White House and Donald Trump.
NBC NewsBlanche responded to Democrats’ concerns on Sunday, telling Welker: “I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act with integrity. We will prosecute without fear or any sort of favor, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing, and that’s what every Department of Justice should do.”
-
Blanche said, “So hold on, will I take the president of the United States, his view on something, into consideration? Yes, of course. And I hope every attorney general in history would not answer that question differently. Just, let’s play that out. The president of the United States, the elected president of the United States, says something to me. And I’m supposed to say to you, ‘I would say, nope.’ I mean, that’s not the way it works. Now, the president is is extraordinarily — every day he wakes up with one mission, which is making this country better. And as it relates to me, making this country safer. So if he has a view on that, he talks about it on social media, he speaks to the American people. That’s certainly something that I listen to.”
Compare 3 other versions
The Guardian US“The president will never ask me to do something unethical or legal or illegal,” Blanche told Welker. “He never has. He never will. And no, I have – I swore to the constitution of the United States, like every cabinet secretary has done, and like every attorney general before me has done.
Washington Examiner“I hope every attorney general in history would not answer that question differently. Just let’s play that out,” he said. “The elected president of the United States says something to me, and I’m supposed to say to you, I would say ‘nope’? I mean, that’s not the way it works.”
Washington Times“The president will never ask me to do something unethical or illegal,” the attorney general said. “He never has. He never will. And no, I swore to the Constitution of the United States like every Cabinet secretary has done and like every attorney general before me has done.”
-
Blanche’s comments to Welker on Sunday came days after he was only narrowly confirmed by the US Senate in a 50-49 vote to succeed Bondi, with all Democrats voting against him. He previously served as Trump’s criminal defense lawyer when a New York state jury convicted Trump between his two presidencies of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Compare 1 other version
NBC NewsBlanche took over as acting attorney general after Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. Before Trump returned to the White House for this term, Blanche served as his personal attorney in a New York City case where the president was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
-
Blanche reiterates that ‘anti-weaponization’ fund ‘is dead’ Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday reiterated that the “anti-weaponization” fund he proposed to compensate those who say they were politically persecuted “is dead.” Blanche told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream that President Trump knows that there is no fund, even if Democrats say there are, as Bream suggested, “other funds and other measures…
Compare 1 other version
The Guardian USBlanche declined to say whether any of the pardoned attackers might still receive settlements from the federal government – though they attorney general also claimed a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund for allies whom Trump considered to be unfairly prosecuted was dead.
-
During the interview, Welker said she asked the attorney general if he would take Trump’s opinion into consideration because former Attorney General Bill Barr pushed back against the president during his first term over claims of election fraud in 2020.
Compare 1 other version
BreitbartWelker said, “I’m asking in part because we did see this play out in his first term. Bill Barr, the attorney general during President Trump’s first term, did push back against President Trump in 2020. As you recall, he told him his election claims were detached from reality. If you were faced with a similar situation, something that you did not think actually met the standard, the legal standard in your mind, would you stand up to the president?”
-
Blanche said, “So, I will I will always stand up for what’s right. The president does not expect any of his leaders, including me, to just say yes to him, no matter what he says.” Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
Compare 2 other versions
Washington ExaminerIn response, Blanche said he “will always stand up for what’s right” while dismissing the notion that he is at the president’s beck and call.
Washington Times“I will always stand up for what’s right,” he said. “And so of course, there’s vigorous back and forth with every cabinet member of the president of the United States, which is exactly what President Trump expects.”
-
The Senate voted earlier this month to confirm Blanche to his post after he spent several months as acting attorney general. The confirmation came after Blanche made a deal with key GOP senators — including Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas — who had concerns about the terms of a settlement the Justice Department made with the president in the wake of his lawsuit against the IRS.
Compare 1 other version
Washington TimesMr. Blanche was sworn in as the nation’s top law enforcement officer last week, a few days after the Senate confirmed him to the post. He had been serving as acting attorney general for months after Pam Bondi left the Justice Department in April.
-
The 49 senators — two Republicans and all Democrats — who opposed Mr. Blanche’s confirmation expressed concerns that he would not be able to shed his past role as Mr. Trump’s personal attorney in leading the Justice Department.
Compare 1 other version
NBC NewsAt his confirmation hearing, Senate Democrats raised concerns about Blanche’s personal relationship with Trump and whether he’d ever act in the president’s best interest over the nation’s.
5 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 The Guardian US “No, I’m not going to pledge that,” he said when asked about the topic by NBC’s Meet the Press host, Kristen Welker. “And no attorney general should ever pledge that.”
-
02 Washington Examiner “Judging her on a single case because of the evidence that we had is not fair,” he added later in the interview.
-
03 Breitbart Host Kristen Welker said, “Would you take his opinions into consideration when he says, I think this case should be revived? Will you take that into consideration?”
-
04 NBC News Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that he doesn’t believe it would be the best course of action for the FBI to take over the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in Arizona but added that federal investigators are providing as much help as possible.
-
05 Washington Times Mr. Blanche said that the media narrative that Mr. Trump would ask him to do something illegal is “false” and that he would not cross such a line.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Perspective
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (6)
- washexaminer
- guardian
- thehill
- washtimes
- breitbart
- nbc