Attorney General Todd Blanche Rejects Independence Pledge On ‘Meet The Press’

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that he will not pledge to keep the Department of Justice independent from the White House, arguing that such a commitment would prevent the agency from executing the administration’s broader policy priorities.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in one of his first televised interviews since his Aug. 8 Senate confirmation, Blanche responded to questions regarding how he plans to navigate his role given his background as President Donald Trump’s former personal defense attorney.

Host Kristen Welker asked Blanche if he could promise that the Justice Department would operate free from White House influence, referencing his recent comments to department staff that the DOJ would “uphold the law without fear or favor.”

“Well, 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.

Blanche argued that making such a pledge would interfere with routine law enforcement directives set by the administration.

“If President Trump says, ‘I want the Department of Justice to go after every violent criminal in this country,’ which is what he has said, what you’re saying to me is I should say, ‘No, sir, I’m not going to do it,’” Blanche said. “So 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.”

When asked how he would respond if the president asked him to cross an ethical or legal boundary, Blanche dismissed the possibility.

“The president will never ask me to do something unethical … or illegal. He never has. He never will,” Blanche said. “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.”

He added: “And so, this narrative that’s mostly pushed by the left and pushed by the media that the president’s going to pull me aside and ask me to do something illegal is completely a false narrative, not true, will not happen, and hasn’t happened.”

The Senate confirmed Blanche as the nation’s 88th attorney general after addressing concerns from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both lawmakers held out on their votes until the Justice Department addressed specific questions regarding the status of the anti-weaponization fund and potential IRS protections involving the Trump family.

Following the interview, the Department of Justice pointed to a statement posted on social media by DOJ Director of Public Affairs Emily Covington regarding the agency’s executive relationship.

“DOJ is part of the executive branch,” Covington wrote. “Are you suggesting that the focus of the Department should not align with the policy goals of the President, who was elected by the American people? Elected because the people voted for the priorities of that President.”