Christine Drews Sieger
As Attorney General Todd Blanche stepped into his new role, he firmly rejected calls to promise complete independence from the White House.
Newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche refuses to rule out taking orders directly from the White House or violating legal boundaries.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, the top law enforcement official explicitly rejected making such a commitment.
“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,” Blanche said on the broadcast. “No, I’m not going to pledge that.”
Blanche argued that making such a commitment would improperly restrict the Justice Department from executing executive policy decisions.
According to Blanche, an unconditional promise of independence could prevent the department from carrying out direct orders, such as targeting violent crime nationwide, Huffpost reports.
Pushing back on critics
The attorney general insisted that prosecutors would continue to act with integrity and without political favor.
His confirmation followed months of intense debate among senators regarding his past role as personal defense counsel for Donald Trump.
When pressed on whether he would reject presidential directives that breach legal or professional ethics standards, Blanche sidestepped the question, according to Huffpost.
“He never has. He never will”
“The president will never ask me to do something unethical or illegal,” Blanche stated. “He never has. He never will.”
Blanche pushed back against critics and news outlets, accusing them of manufacturing a baseless conspiracy about potential misconduct.
He added that he swore an oath to the Constitution just like every Cabinet secretary before him.
The exchange marks a significant public statement on executive power as Blanche takes permanent control of the department, Huffpost reports.
