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Attorney General Todd Blanche repeatedly clashed with CNN host Dana Bash Sunday after explaining how he and the Department of Justice will respond to recent Democratic threats to investigate the Trump administration.
Since the Democratic Party’s midterm election sweep, several prominent Democrats have used the opportunity to threaten legal action against President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is poised to lead the House Oversight Committee, posted “lawyer up” in response to the midterm wins, as well as the news that Stephen Miller would be promoted to White House chief of staff.
Blanche defended Miller in an X post, writing that the Attorney General of the United States and the Department of Justice would defend the White House chief of staff, leading the “State of the Union” host to ask whether his job is focused on Trump Cabinet members.
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Several Democrats have threatened President Donald Trump and his administration with investigations after the midterm elections. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
“Do you see it as your job as attorney general to represent anyone in the administration being investigated by Congress?” Bash said.
“Wait, do I see it as my job?” Blanche responded. “The Constitution sees it as my job. Just in every administration, the Department of Justice represents members of the executive who are brought in front of Congress. So, there is nothing unique to me saying that. Every attorney general in history represents members of the administration.”
“And this idea that Congressman Garcia comes out and says, ‘Oh, no, no. Stephen Miller needs his own personal lawyer.’ I would suggest he read the Constitution,” he continued. “If he doesn’t have a copy, I can arrange to send him one. But the Constitution absolutely protects members of the executive, and I am the attorney general, and as that, like I do every day, we represent members of the administration who go in front of Congress. That’s nothing unique to me.”
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During the interview, Bash argued that Congress has an oversight role and asked whether Blanche was concerned about that.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Trump administration, saying the Constitution dictates he defends the executive branch. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“No, no, no,” Blanche said. “They have a very unique role in oversight, I agree. Have you been listening to the rhetoric the past couple of days? You honestly think that all they’re doing is talking about their oversight obligations, when they’re talking about going after basically every member of the Cabinet? They’re talking about impeachments. They’re talking about going after companies, private companies, who happen to have made investments in this country over the past couple years. That is not oversight. I welcome oversight. Oversight is exactly something they should be doing.”
“So are you saying that you are going to investigate them?” Bash said, referencing Trump’s recent Truth Social post encouraging an investigation against Democrats. “And what you just described, is there a crime there?”
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Blanche answered that depending on what’s said, there “could be” an investigation against some Democrats regarding their rhetoric against Trump. Blanche answered with a reference to recent remarks by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., about hoping to discourage young conservatives from working in the government.
“You have free speech in this country. You are allowed to be critical of President Trump, of me, of this administration,” Blanche said. “But when the threats become so vile and so dangerous that you are telling people in college that they better be careful if they want to work in the Trump administration because somebody will come after them, at some point you have to draw the line.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., has repeatedly told Republican leaders and Trump allies to “Lawyer up” since the Democratic Party swept the midterm elections. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Digital reached out to the White House, the Department of Justice and Garcia’s office for comment.
