Directing the DOJ is “what being the commander in chief is about,” said interim Attorney General Todd Blanche.
In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, interim Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated that he had no problem with “weaponizing” the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of his boss, President Donald Trump.
The statement from Blanche is a direct contradiction of Trump’s vow in an executive order at the beginning of his second term to end the “weaponization of the Federal Government against the American people.” Since reentering the White House, however, Trump has weaponized the department numerous times, going so far as to publicly order his former attorney general, Pam Bondi, to target his perceived political opponents last year.
Blanche, a former personal lawyer of Trump’s, suggested that such actions were appropriate, despite the DOJ’s history of being, at least on its surface, an independent department that doesn’t cater to presidential whims or wishes.
During the interview, the interim attorney general was asked about a Truth Social post Trump published last September, in which he directly instructed Bondi to target Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California), New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), and former FBI Director James Comey for federal prosecution.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump complained in the post. It was later revealed that the post had been published by accident, and was initially intended to be a personal message.
Describing Trump as “my boss,” Blanche said that sort of management of the DOJ should be expected.
“That type of communication from President Trump should make every American happy,” Blanche insisted in the interview. “It means that there’s an executive, a chief executive, that is making sure every one of his Cabinet members are working as hard as they should.”
In the same interview, Blanche maintained that probes into Trump’s political enemies make up only a small portion of the Justice Department’s work. There is an “outsized focus” on such investigations “because they involve individuals that the president has had significant issues” with, Blanche explained.
Directing the DOJ is “what being the commander in chief is about,” Blanche said.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump frequently accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the Department of Justice in its investigations into his wrongdoings — including his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential race and his improper transfer of classified documents to his personal residences following his first exit from the White House.
Despite those promises, however, Trump also pledged to get “retribution” against his political adversaries, likening criminal charges he had faced at the time to attacks on voters within his base.
“This is really prosecutorial misconduct,” Trump said at a rally during the campaign, claiming that the purported “innocence of people makes no difference whatsoever to these radical left maniacs.”
Before becoming president for a second term, Trump faced four criminal charges relating to his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which included allegations that he sought to use a scheme involving fake electors to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College. Trump also faced charges relating to his removal of classified federal documents, which he at one point claimed he had declassified with his mind. And in May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 counts relating to his falsification of business records to cover up an extramarital affair he had ahead of the 2016 presidential race.
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