Trump Doesn't Order Prosecutions, Blanche Says

Newly installed Attorney General Todd Blanche isn't guaranteeing he'll keep the White House at arm's length. Pressed Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press to say he'll always act independently of President Trump, Blanche declined, saying no attorney general should make that kind of pledge. He insisted, however, that Trump has never ordered him to target specific people for prosecution and called reports of direct meddling "extraordinarily" exaggerated, the New York Times reports. "He does not do that. He has never done that. He will never do that," Blanche said.

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and Trump's onetime lead defense lawyer, was narrowly confirmed this month after Republican pushback over his role in a $1.8 billion compensation fund for alleged Justice Department abuses and a broad tax immunity deal for Trump. He now says the fund is dead, though people who claim harm—including pardoned Capitol rioters—can seek relief in court. In an appearance Sunday on Fox News, Blanche said sometimes pushing back on Trump is part of his job. Asked whether he could reject the president's preferred course of action if his own legal opinion differed, per Politico, Blanche said, "I think he would expect me to tell him no."