Newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has openly rejected the traditional independence of the Department of Justice, stating he will take President Donald Trump’s views into account when deciding on federal prosecutions. In an interview broadcast on August 16 on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Blanche explicitly declined to promise that the department would operate separately from the White House. When asked directly if he would act independently, Blanche responded, "No, I’m not going to pledge that," adding that he would "of course" consider the president's perspective on legal matters.
This stance represents a significant departure from the post-Watergate norm, during which the Department of Justice has maintained a standard of independence from presidential interference since the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Blanche’s comments come shortly after his narrow confirmation by the Senate, following his service as acting attorney general since April. A former personal attorney for Trump, Blanche has previously signaled this perspective. During congressional testimony in May and throughout his confirmation process, he maintained that the Justice Department is an arm of the executive branch and takes policy direction "from the president," pointing repeatedly to the president's constitutional "executive power."
Critics argue that the Justice Department under Trump has increasingly been utilized to target political adversaries. Since returning to office, Trump has executed sweeping changes within the department, resulting in the firing of dozens of officials and the resignation or departure of thousands of federal lawyers.
The practical effects of Trump’s public pressure on the justice system are already evident in several high-profile cases. In a September 2025 social media post, Trump aggressively demanded the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Senator Adam Schiff, writing that they were "all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done," and complaining, "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!!!"
Following that post, the Justice Department pursued multiple cases against Comey. The first case, charging Comey with lying to Congress, was dismissed by a federal judge who ruled that the prosecutor, former Trump personal attorney Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully appointed. The Justice Department is currently appealing that dismissal. A second case against Comey, which involves a social media post of seashells that prosecutors claim constituted a threat to Trump, led to a grand jury indictment in North Carolina earlier this year, shortly after Blanche took over as acting attorney general. Comey petitioned a federal judge in July to dismiss this second case.
The Department of Justice also targeted New York Attorney General Letitia James with a bank fraud charge. Like the Comey case, this charge was thrown out following the ruling on Halligan’s unlawful appointment. Subsequent attempts by federal prosecutors to reindict James failed when two separate Virginia grand juries declined to bring charges.
Blanche also addressed Trump's public frustration over a decision by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to drop the prosecution of an Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Although Trump publicly urged Pirro to revisit the case, Pirro's office concluded that the pool's deterioration was caused by contractors rather than vandals. Blanche defended Pirro's decision during his "Meet the Press" appearance but expressed sympathy for the president's position, saying Trump was "extraordinarily frustrated" and noting that "that's different than whether ultimately we had the proof."
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