Todd Blanche refused to promise that the Department of Justice would always operate independently from Donald Trump’s White House. The Trump attorney general argued that no attorney general should make such a pledge while serving an elected president.
Blanche made the comments days after taking the permanent DOJ position following a narrow Senate confirmation. His remarks also contrasted with his separate claim that Trump would expect him to reject the president on legal matters.
Todd Blanche said no attorney general should pledge independence from the White House
During an August 16 appearance on Meet the Press, Kristen Welker asked Blanche whether the DOJ would “always act independently” from Trump’s administration. Blanche rejected the premise and said the department could still perform its duties without making that promise.
“No, I’m not going to pledge that. No attorney general should ever pledge that,” Blanche said.
“There’s a big difference between saying we will always do our job and investigate any case, and act independently of the White House,” he added.
Blanche also pushed back against claims that Trump could personally direct prosecutions. He called that idea an “extraordinarily false narrative.”
Later that day, Blanche offered more context during a Fox News Sunday interview. He said Trump “would expect me to tell him no” if they disagreed about a legal issue.
“I think there’s a misnomer about President Trump, which is that he wakes up in the morning, calls me up and says, ‘Todd, go prosecute this,’” Blanche said.
“That’s absolutely not the case,” he continued. “President Trump talks to the American people about this. He wants a Department of Justice. He wants law enforcement out there, arresting the bad guys.”
Blanche officially became attorney general on August 10 after serving as acting attorney general since April. The Senate confirmed him 50-49 on August 8, while Judge Emil Bove administered his oath two days later, CBS News reported.
Trump had previously hired Blanche for his defense team during the Stormy Daniels hush-money case in 2023. Blanche later became deputy attorney general after Trump nominated him for the position.
He switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican the following year, The New York Times reported. Trump elevated him to acting attorney general after firing Pam Bondi in April.
The administration faced intense criticism over its handling of the Epstein files at the time. Blanche had previously said working for Trump remained his greatest professional honor.
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