In his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche argued he “restoring American trust” in the Justice Department.
“In recent years, Americans watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public’s faith in justice,” Blanche said. “We are fixing that.”
The idea is core to the division between supporters and critics of President Donald Trump: whether the government was weaponized against him, or whether he is using the seat of power to go after his own detractors and political foes.
While Blanche’s opening remarks did not touch on some of the department’s most controversial actions under his leadership, including high-profile indictments and the now-defunct anti-weaponization fund, he acknowleged that “members of this Committee on both sides have fair questions about the hard debates of this past year, and I welcome them.”
He did, however, give details on some the department’s cornerstone issues under the Trump administration like fighting violent crime, stopping drug cartels and prosecuting fraud. Blanche will highlight partnerships between federal, state and local officials who are “all pulling in the same direction.”
“None of this is a Republican or Democrat issue,” Blanche said. “Every senator here has constituents who just want to be safe.”
While he is often thought of for his work as Trump’s personal attorney while he was out of office, Blanche plans to discuss his history as a prosecutor, saying: “I rose through the ranks of the department as a line prosecutor, then a division chief, then as of last year, deputy Attorney General, and now acting Attorney General.”
“I did not take that path for a title,” Blanche told senators. “I took it to make a difference for American families and the towns they call home.”
