There was no question heading into Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that Blanche would receive little to no pushback from Republicans about the inappropriate nature of the work he has done to help transform the Department of Justice into President Trump’s personal law firm.
Only two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee dared to question Blanche over the creation of the so-called “anti-weaponization fund” — the cartoonishly corrupt slush fund that Trump created to dole out compensation to his political supporters, which is now defunct due to outrage expressed by some Senate Republicans behind closed doors. And one of those two lawmakers suggested during his first round of questioning that the fund would have no real impact on his vote to confirm Blanche as AG.
Blanche is set to appear before the same committee again tomorrow. There is no delusion in this writer’s mind that Republicans might step up and do anything but rubber stamp Blanche’s corrupt leadership, giving him the green light to continue running the Justice Department as Trump’s political retribution machine. Even Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) indicated post-hearing that, though he was unsatisfied with Blanche’s explanation for why we should all just trust Trump when he says the slush fund is dead, he would likely still vote his nomination out of committee.
Democrats, however, did try to question Blanche on his role in eroding the longstanding firewall of independence that existed between the DOJ and the White House. His responses were cagey.
During his time to question Blanche, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) asked point-blank: “Is the Department of Justice that you’re running independent from the White House?”
“The Department of Justice, like every single department in the executive, is part of the executive,” Blanche replied.
He employed this, let’s call it … innovative rhetorical spin, before, perhaps mistakenly (?) stating that the Constitution gives President Trump specific authorities.
“I mean Article 2 of the Constitution give the power of the executive to President Trump,” he continued “We certainly operate with integrity. We certainly operate in the single mindset to serve the American people and do the right thing.”
“If confirmed, I will be a member of the Cabinet,” he continued. “And President Trump can fire me whenever he wants.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) got into a heated back-and-forth with Blanche about who was telling the truth about their private meeting before Padilla, fed up, asked: “So the Department of Justice should be independent or not?”
“I think — as I said earlier, the Department of Justice is under the executive branch. If confirmed, I will be a member of the president’s Cabinet,” Blanche said. “So absolutely, my obligation is to the American people and the rule of law. So that being said, I am a member of the Cabinet of the President of United States.”
It’s a creative way to sidestep engaging seriously with questions on the damage he has wrought in transforming the DOJ into a cudgel to carry out Trump’s personal revenge and delusions.
Hegseth Encourages Gender Affirming Care
President Trump banned trans service members in the military and his Department of Defense Secretary has all but banned women from serving in combat and getting promotions. But cis men need not fret! In a new video — heavy on the machoism and warrior ethos he’s injected into the department — out today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the department will provide soldiers 30 and over with “testosterone deficiency” screenings.
“If treatment is recommended, it’s entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy,” Hegseth said.
Randy Fine Didn’t ‘Invent How We Use Language,’ Okay?
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) had an insane response to being backed into a corner by a News Nation host. After advocating for an end to political violence, Fine was reminded that he has written social media posts accusing his political foes of being terrorists.
His response? Well, maybe I’ll stop calling people terrorists when the media stops acting like white supremacy and Christian nationalism are bad words. (I’m paraphrasing, watch for yourself below.)
What Else Should You Read From TPM Today?
MAJOR new scoop from Josh Kovensky: EXCLUSIVE: Trump DOJ’s Top ‘Antifa’ Prosecutor Marched with Crowd on Jan. 6
Khaya Himmelman covered the confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for the Director of National Intelligence, during which Jay Clayton refused to answer questions about whether President Joe Biden won the election in 2020. Not concerning at all at a time when President Trump is trying to repurpose the foreign intelligence position into a tool for investigating his domestic election fraud delusions: DNI Nominee Clayton’s Answers on Election Integrity Are Too Cute by Half
David Kurtz writes on the weakness of Senate Republicans who appear poised to green-light Blanche’s leadership in “hijacking the criminal justice system to use it as a tool of political retribution”: What Price for the Soul of Democracy?
A deep dive from Bryce Covert on the epidemic of immigrants having no legal representation with which to navigate their immigration proceedings: ‘A Complete Devastation of Due Process’: What Really Happens Inside Immigration Court
Yesterday’s Top Story
The Federal Cover-Up of Three Minnesota Shootings Finally Unravels
What I’m Reading
Most of Trump DOJ’s voter roll losses have come from GOP-appointed judges
Billionaires who fled California wealth tax risk intrusive residency audit
Trump’s order to resume ICE traffic stops means more danger for the public
As if.
Will tomorrow’s confirmation hearing include his ignoring of the law that requires the release of the Epstein files that he says he will continue to ignore?
Just a polite observation that many of my trans friends do not appreciate the “gender-affirming care” jokes in response to MAHA freakouts because it conflates essential, science-based medical care with the paranoid ravings of weird, homicidal freaks.
A better response would be to note that the leadership of the Pentagon is incapable of winning the illegal war of choice the commander-in-chief started and is instead spending its energy resegregating the officer corps, obsessing over facial hair, and trying to give men back acne and mood swings. Shahed drones don’t care how much you can lift, bro.
Say what??
Watch the vid.