Trump's views can factor into prosecutions, Attorney General Todd Blanche says
Axios · LC · trust 36/100
Add Axios on Google Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at a rally at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City, N.Y. Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Attorney General Todd Blanche refused Sunday to pledge the Justice Department's independence from the White House, saying he would consider President Trump's views on individual prosecutions.
Why it matters: Trump has remade the DOJ , ousting longtime staffers , urging prosecutions of rivals and installing his former lawyer as attorney general. Blanche made the stakes clear: Trump's wishes can shape who gets investigated and prosecuted .
What he's saying: "No, I'm not going to pledge that," Blanche told NBC's "Meet the Press" after Kristen Welker asked whether DOJ would "always act independently" of the White House.
Zoom in: Blanche said "yes, of course" Trump should have a voice in individual prosecution decisions.
Catch up quick: Blanche called it an "extraordinarily false narrative" that Trump tells him, "Go prosecute X or Y." Yet Trump regularly broadcasts whom he wants prosecuted.
The other side: On "Fox News Sunday," Blanche told Shannon Bream that Trump "would expect me to tell him no" when they disagree legally.
Driving the news: Blanche's Sunday interviews capped his first week as attorney general after the Senate confirmed him 50–49.
Context: This isn't the first time Blanche has rejected a wall between the DOJ and Trump.
Flashback: Trump has treated alleged political influence over past attorneys general as scandalous.
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