Blumenthal Slams Senate Judiciary Committee Vote To Advance Blanche's Nomination For Attorney General

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted against Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as Attorney General of the United States at today's Committee hearing. At the hearing, Blumenthal spoke out against Blanche's nomination, raising concerns about Blanche's lack of independence.

"'I'm his lawyer.' That is what Mr. Blanche told us he was. 'I'm his lawyer.' Namely Donald Trump's lawyer. Maya Angelou famously said, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.' Todd Blanche is Donald Trump's lawyer. He will say anything, do anything, conceal anything for his boss," Blumenthal said at the hearing.

Pointing to Blanche's purported rescission of the so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund" to reward the President's political allies and violent criminals who attacked Capitol Police officers on January 6, Blumenthal continued, "Commentators have talked about loopholes. There are no loopholes here. This document itself is a sham."

Blumenthal underscored that Donald Trump remains committed to seeing the slush fund move forward, despite Blanche's assurances: "The President of the United States yesterday, in the Oval Office, repeated his commitment to the Anti-Weaponization Fund. We don't need to say the quiet part out loud. The President is shouting it."

Blumenthal continued, "The position of the United States Attorney General is a position of supreme trust. Any of us who have worked in the Department of Justice-I was the United States Attorney for Connecticut-knows that the Attorney General of the United States, like every lawyer who represents the United States, has a trust, in going to court, in making representation…Todd Blanche has betrayed that trust. And his betrayal of that trust is disqualifying for his nomination."

"My fear is that Todd Blanche will represent Donald Trump, be his consigliere, and he will put Donald Trump ahead of the American people and the right to vote. I cannot support him. I regret that this committee will in effect betray its trust in the party-line vote that is to follow and approve Todd Blanche as Attorney General of the United States," Blumenthal concluded.

A video of Blumenthal's remarks is available here. A transcript is available below.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to join in thanking you for allowing us to speak before the vote.

"I'm his lawyer." That is what Mr. Blanche told us he was. "I'm his lawyer." Namely Donald Trump's lawyer. Maya Angelou famously said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Todd Blanche is Donald Trump's lawyer. He will say anything, do anything, conceal anything for his boss. Much as in organized crime, the consigliere would do anything, say anything, and conceal anything for his boss. That is why Mr. Blanche was held by a judge in Florida to have committed a fraud on the court. Todd Blanche is now in effect committing a fraud on Congress. The documents that he has submitted, and I will hold them up here, that purport to change some agreement are in effect a nullity. They are meaningless. They have no effect. They are non-enforceable. In just a few weeks thousands of young law school students will begin a contracts course. What they will learn is that a contract can't be modified or changed by some outside party when there is a meeting of the minds. There was in effect and agreement, a meeting of the minds between Donald Trump and the United States of America to settle these cases. Now Todd Blanche purports to change it. This document is a sham. It is a sham and a fraud on the Congress insofar as it seeks to change our minds by representing something that is patently false.

Commentators have talked about loopholes. There are no loopholes here. This document itself is a sham. In fact, one of its statements is that it incorporates all of Todd Blanche's testimony before this Committee. I want to hold up one part of that testimony. Todd Blanche himself says that that agreement is unenforceable-so I suppose if President Trump's counsel sought to enforce it, potentially they could. Of course they could. Tomorrow, Donald Trump's counsel can go to court and seek to establish that thug fund-Senator Tillis call it a payout to punks fund-if he chooses to do so. It is an enforceable agreement no matter what Todd Blanche says about it. And if you don't believe me, you can listen to one of the most ardent advocates of that anti-weaponization fund who said the quiet part allowed on Twitter recently.

Mike Howell, who Chairman Grassley called as a witness before this committee last year retweeted Mr. Blanche's announcement with his own commentary: "Can be undone after Tuesday. The anti-weaponization fund is great." The President of the United States yesterday, in the Oval Office repeated his commitment to the anti-weaponization fund. We don't need to say the quiet part out loud. The President is shouting it. The position of the United States Attorney General is a position of supreme trust. Any of us who have worked in the Department of Justice-I was the United States Attorney for Connecticut-knows that the Attorney General of the United States, like every lawyer who represents the United States, has a trust, in going to court, in making representation. There is a presumption of regularity when a government lawyer appears before the court. That is the sacred trust that a government lawyer bears. Todd Blanche has betrayed that trust. And his betrayal of that trust is disqualifying for his nomination. Todd Blanche also showed us who he was also when he, during this hearing referred to the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6 as events. They are not events. They were a riot, insurrection, and attack on the Capitol. We were there.

We know what it was. It was a violent, unlawful attack on the nation's Capitol that cost brave members of law enforcement their lives. He purports to stand for law enforcement, and yet he is in favor of a slush fund that in effect rewards those individuals who attacked Capitol police in that insurrection and riot. And he refuses to see it for what it was and describe it accurately and truthfully. His prescribed, rehearsed lines prepared by the White House legal team are meant to protect the President's feelings. They demonstrate an unwavering loyalty to the President. That is the throughline. He is the President's lawyer. He showed us who he was as well when he was talking about reproductive rights. In a private call last week, Mr. Blanche again said the quiet part out loud. In fact, he shouted it, he said to the participants on the call that he would work to restrict abortion in every single state. That is not enforcing the law. That is a zealot. A warrior seeking to advocate the President's position against reproductive rights. He wants to block states enacting their own policies and laws. He wants to make abortion access follow the laws of abortion ban states. He wants to strip Americans of the right to choose and strip states of their right to govern.

The part of this agreement that purports to limit the immunity under our tax laws and protect the President against audits is in fact no limitation. It preserves all of the President's rights to be above the law. No person is above the law, but Todd Blanche is agreeing to put the President above the law. There are more than 400,000 other Americans who suffered the same harm as Donald Trump when their private tax information was taken and released. We have in this country a principal of equal protection under the law, presumably if Donald Trump gets this deal, they would be eligible to assert their claims for the same rights. If Donald Trump is protected against paying hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes by this deal, perhaps so should they, in claims they may file. The cost to the government is staggering if this deal is approved, as Todd Blanche purports to do. And that deal is still in effect as a result of these documents.

Mr. Blanche showed us who he was when he ducked and dodged my questions about deep-sixing and killing an investigation in the possible pay-to-play commutation of an individual who was pardoned, David Gentile. He reportedly paid $2.5 million to a broker to obtain clemency which robbed his victims of nearly $16 million in restitution. When a United States Attorney tried to investigate, Mr. Blanche reportedly killed the probe. That is not the behavior of an Attorney General who upholds the trust of this position. That is the behavior of Donald Trump's personal lawyer. Finally, the most sacred rights we have in a democracy is the right to vote. Freely and fairly. My fear is Todd Blanche will be Donald Trump's lawyer in suppressing the vote and distorting the count. He will defend Donald Trump if the President sends militia or I.C.E. Agents or the National Guard to the polls to disrupt the elections. He will defend Donald Trump if he seeks to distort the count after the election.

My fear is that Todd Blanche will represent Donald Trump, be his consigliere and he will put Donald Trump ahead of the American people and the right to vote. I cannot support him. I regret that this committee will in effect betray its trust in the party-line vote that is to follow and approve Todd Blanche as Attorney General of the United States. And I will be introducing a resolution today rejecting this tax immunity deal as possible precedent, seeking to stop it from becoming a means of others seeking the same kind of illegal privilege that Donald Trump will have as a result of this deal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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