Attorney General Todd Blanche Refuses to Say He’ll Act Independently of Trump

Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to pledge DOJ independence from the White House, stating that no attorney general should make that promise.

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Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to say the Department of Justice would “always act independently” of the White House in an interview

In contrast, in a separate interview, he said Donald Trump “would expect me to tell him no” if the two disagreed on a legal matter

Blanche was sworn in as attorney general on Monday, Aug. 10, following a narrow 50-49 Senate vote, after serving as acting attorney general since April

Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to pledge the Department of Justice’s independence from the White House.

Blanche, who was officially sworn into the role on Monday, Aug. 10, after serving as acting attorney general since April, was questioned about his plans for the DOJ during an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Aug. 16.

The network’s White House correspondent Kristen Welker asked the 52-year-old whether the DOJ would “always act independently” of President Donald Trump‘s administration, to which he replied, “There’s a big difference between saying we will always do our job and investigate any case, and act independently of the White House.

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“No, I’m not going to pledge that. No attorney general should ever pledge that,” he added.

Blanche further noted, “The president of the United States, the elected president of the United States, says something to me. And I’m supposed to say to you, ‘I would say no.’ I mean, that’s not the way it works.”

He also described the notion that Trump would tell him, “Go prosecute X or Y” as an “extraordinarily false narrative.”

However, Blanche told Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday the same day that Trump “would expect me to tell him no” if the two were to disagree on a legal matter.

“I think there’s a misnomer about President Trump, which is that he wakes up in the morning, calls me up and says, ‘Todd, go prosecute this,’ “ he explained

“That’s absolutely not the case,” Blanche added. “President Trump talks to the American people about this. He wants a Department of Justice. He wants law enforcement out there, arresting the bad guys.”

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Blanche, who previously served as deputy attorney general, became acting attorney general in April 2026 after Trump fired Pam Bondi, following months of controversy and public backlash over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.

In June, Trump, 80, formally nominated him to become attorney general. He was narrowly confirmed in a 50-49 Senate vote on Saturday, Aug. 8, and was sworn in by Judge Emil Bove — his former law partner — two days later, per CBS News.

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He began working with the president in 2023, when Trump added him to his defense team for the hush-money trial involving Stormy Daniels.

The following year, he switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, The New York Times reported, and he was nominated by Trump for the deputy attorney general post months later.

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In April, shortly after becoming acting attorney general, he said he’d thank the president and tell him, “I love you, sir,” if Trump were to fire him or nominate somebody else for the permanent position.

“As to whether or not I want this job, I did not ask for this job,” he said. “I love working for President Trump, it’s the greatest honor of a lifetime.”

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