Todd Blanche Thinks You’re Dumb Enough to Believe This
5/21/202618 min
Will Saletan gives his take on Todd Blanche’s embarrassing performance as Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General, and why his public defenses of the administration keep collapsing under scrutiny. From reviving debunked 2020 election claims to arguing that indictments themselves are proof of guilt, except when it comes to Trump, Blanche repeatedly finds himself trying to justify glaring double standards in real time. Will walks through Blanche’s interviews, the James Comey indictment, Trump’s public pressure on DOJ leadership, and how the Justice Department is shaped by loyalty to Trump rather than consistent legal principles.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsWill Saletan· Host0:00
Hey, it's Will Saletan from The Bulwark. So what do you think is the most degrading job in Washington? I mean, it's a long list, but the answer might be Donald Trump's attorney general. So right now, Trump has an acting attorney general, Todd Blanche. And Blanche is trying really, really hard to get the job full-time, and to get it, he's willing to absolutely humiliate himself. So today, I'm gonna show you Todd Blanche debasing himself to do whatever Trump tells him to do. So let's start with the 2020 election. You might recall that during that election, Trump had an attorney general, Bill Barr, and Barr investigated Trump's allegations that the election was stolen, and here's what Barr found.
Bill Barr· Soundbite0:53
I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullshit.
Will Saletan· Host1:01
Bullshit. [laughs] That was Trump's attorney general saying, "I looked into this, and it's bullshit." But now, six years later, Blanche is trying to get the job that Bill Barr had, so he's reinvestigating the 2020 election. And on Sunday, Maria Bartiromo asked Blanche what he's found.
Maria Bartiromo· Soundbite1:23
Now, the president says all the time that the election was rigged. What have you done about that? Do you have any evidence that the election