Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department’s relationship with President Donald Trump and pledged to prosecute violent crime, protect law enforcement and press ahead on election-related litigation, while rejecting concerns that the department would be improperly influenced by the White House.
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Blanche said prosecutors would act “without fear or favor” but declined to promise full independence from the White House, saying the president is entitled to set broad law enforcement priorities.
“I will act with integrity,” Blanche said. “Our prosecutors will act with integrity.” He said he would stand up for what he believes is legally or ethically required but added that Trump had not asked him to do anything improper.
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The comments came amid questions about how the department will navigate Trump’s public statements on prosecutions, his pardons for people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and his administration’s push to obtain state voter rolls ahead of the midterm elections.
Blanche said there was no contradiction between promising to prosecute people who assault law enforcement officers and Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 defendants, including people who admitted assaulting police. He said the president’s pardon power is separate from prosecutorial decisions.
“There’s a difference between saying we will prosecute anybody if later a president chooses to pardon that individual,” Blanche said. “That is the president’s right under our Constitution.”
He also said a proposed compensation fund for people who claimed they were wronged by the federal government was dead, though he would not rule out that individuals could seek payments through ordinary legal claims against the government.
Asked about Trump’s criticism of the Department of Justice’s decision to drop charges in a case involving alleged damage to the reflecting pool on the National Mall, Blanche said he supported U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro while also acknowledging the president’s frustration. He said he would consider the president’s views, as he would the views of other Americans, but that decisions would be made based on facts and law.
On election litigation, Blanche said the department would continue seeking access to state voter rolls under federal law despite a series of court losses. He said states administer elections but argued that the federal government has a role in ensuring constitutional and legal requirements are met.
In his address to employees on Thursday, Blanche thanked prosecutors, agents, paralegals, analysts and support staff, describing the department’s mission as enforcing the law, protecting communities and defending federal policies in court. He highlighted violent crime, drug trafficking, gangs, immigration enforcement, fraud against the government and appellate work as priorities.
Blanche said the department succeeds when employees with different backgrounds and views argue candidly before carrying out a unified legal strategy. He said he wanted to leave the department “stronger, more respected” and faithful to its ideals.
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