Todd Blanche Backs Article II Power After April Rise to Acting Attorney General
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 9
Todd Blanche Backs Article II Power After April Rise to Acting Attorney General
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 9
Summary
April’s promotion to acting attorney general cemented Todd Blanche’s shift from perceived internal check on Donald Trump to a top enforcer of Trump’s tactics and broad executive-power claims.
Article II is central to that stance: Blanche has argued an attorney general must comply with a president’s lawful demands, a view he also advanced while defending Trump in three criminal cases.
February’s decision to move Ed Martin — head of the Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization” task force — to an office 18 minutes away had briefly fed hopes Blanche would restrain Trump-aligned retribution efforts.
Liz Oyer, the former pardon attorney Blanche ousted last year, said that reading was badly mistaken, reflecting a wider view among critics and career Justice Department officials that Blanche is now fully aligned with Trump.