Attorney General Todd Blanche said he would consider President Donald Trump's views on prosecutions, rejecting the notion of an independent Department of Justice.
"Will I take the president of the United States’ view on something into consideration? Yes, of course," Blanche said in an Aug. 16 interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press." When asked if he would act independently from the White House, Blanche answered: "No, I’m not going to pledge that."
The Department of Justice has largely operated independently of the White House since the Watergate scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has overseen major changes at the Justice Department, including the firing of dozens of officials and
the departure of thousands of lawyers. Critics contend the DOJ has become a tool for targeting Trump's political opponents.
The interview came days after Blanche was narrowly confirmed as attorney general by the Senate. He had served in the role on an acting basis since April.
In May testimony before Congress, Blanche, a former Trump personal attorney, said the Justice Department takes policy direction "from the president." He repeatedly pointed to the president's "executive power" in written testimony during his confirmation process and wrote: "The Department of Justice is part of the Executive branch."
Blanche supports Pirro in wake of Reflecting Pool dismissal
Trump has called for prosecutions on social media, most recently saying U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should revisit her decision to drop the prosecution of an Olympian over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Blanche said in the "Meet the Press" interview that he supported Pirro and that there was potential vandalism at the Reflecting Pool. Pirro's office said it concluded that contractors, not vandals, were to blame for the pool's deteriorating condition, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
"The president is extraordinarily frustrated at what happened in that case, and I don't in any way fault him for that," Blanche said on "Meet the Press." "Now, that's different than whether ultimately we had the proof."
Prosecutions against James Comey, Letitia James
Trump called for the prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James in a September 2025 social media post.
"They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done," the post read. "We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"
Since the post, the Department of Justice has brought two cases against Comey.
The first, in which Comey was charged with lying to Congress, was dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who secured the charges, former Trump personal attorney Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed. The DOJ has appealed that ruling.
Comey asked a federal judge in July to dismiss the second case. The case stems from a social media image of seashells that prosecutors allege threatened Trump.
Earlier this year, after Blanche became acting attorney general, the Justice Department secured an indictment against Comey from a North Carolina grand jury.
The DOJ also secured a bank fraud charge against James that was dismissed following the Halligan ruling. Efforts to reindict James were unsuccessful before two Virginia grand juries.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Michael Loria, and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blanche refuses to pledge DOJ independence from White House
