Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was adamant Thursday that Pam Bondi’s handling of government files related to sex predator Jeffrey Epstein did not play a role in President Trump’s decision to fire her.
“A lot of what you just said about what happened to the attorney general is simply not true,” Blanche told Fox News host Jesse Watters, in his first interview since being elevated to acting AG.
“I have never heard President Trump say that the attorney general – that anything that happened to her – had anything to do with the Epstein files,” Blanche asserted.
Watters had referenced reports indicating Trump was upset with Bondi over the handling of the Epstein case as well as the leak of FBI plans to release files related to Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) ties to a Chinese spy.
“I would not believe that for a second, absolutely positively not,” Blanche said during his appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” when asked if Bondi tipped off Swalwell.
Trump had openly expressed concern about Bondi’s faltering prosecutions of his political foes.
In September, Trump fumed on Truth Social that his AG hadn’t brought charges against former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James or Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), arguing they were all “guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”
Blanche confirmed the president was “frustrated” with the DOJ’s efforts to hold his enemies accountable.
“Look, I think the president is frustrated, everybody is frustrated, because what we saw happen for the past four years, is unforgivable and can never happen again,” he said.
“And so certainly I don’t mind the frustration,” Blanche continued. “I appreciate the frustration, because we do have to make sure that what happened for four years never happens again, and we don’t talk about investigations, but I can tell you that the Department of Justice is working hard every day.”
Blanche said he was “honored” Trump asked him to step in as acting AG but also “appreciative” of what Bondi accomplished at DOJ.
“The attorney general made our country safe again, and she is a friend, and she did a great job in the first year of this administration … we are a better Justice Department, we are safer as a nation and we should all be very grateful to the attorney general for her sacrifice for this country,” he said.
Blanche can serve in the acting capacity for up to 210 days. If Trump decides to nominate him permanently for the position, he — or any other nominee — would need to be confirmed in the GOP-led Senate.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin has been rumored for months to be under consideration as a permanent replacement.
