Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut took to CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 on Monday to declare the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general a clear and present danger to the republic.
In the eyes of the Connecticut Democrat, putting Blanche in charge of the Justice Department amounts to handing the keys of the kingdom over to Donald Trump himself.
Blumenthal wasted little time painting the nomination in the darkest possible colors:
“It is a significant distinction, but it’s one that makes very little difference to Donald Trump so far as his past liability is concerned. And he was under audit. He was under investigation in connection with hundreds of millions of dollars in potential debt to the government.”
“Now it’s all gone. And so, yes, he can still be investigated for something he does in the future. But this is a free pass. It’s a potential get out of jail free pass for liability in the past.”
John Berman, the host of the program, pressed further, asking whether Trump “would try to revive this anti-weaponization fund and what would kill it completely dead in your mind?”
Blumenthal seized the opening to pivot to January 6:
“You’ve heard him say numerous times that good people, mind you, these good people were the rioters who attacked and severely injured the Capitol Police. They were involved in it. In fact, the death of more than one, that they are entitled to some kind of compensation.”
“The person who really deserves compensation is David Hearn, an innocent man who was charged and put through severe cost of defense, reputational damage, emotional travail and the rioters deserve no such kind of compensation.”
Blumenthal went on to warn that Trump has made plain his intention to explore every available avenue to deliver that compensation.
“But Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he will try to find any means available, and there potentially are means available, which is why it’s so dangerous, so deeply harmful, to approve Todd Blanche as attorney general, because he will do whatever the president wants him to do,” the senator stated.
“He slipped during the confirmation hearing, saying, ‘I’m Donald Trump’s lawyer.’ In effect, I’m his lawyer, and that’s his idea of the job, when in fact he should be representing the interests of you and I, the people of the United States. But in fact, he will enable this kind of lawbreaking.”
The performance was classic Washington theater.
The same political class that treated January 6 defendants as domestic terrorists now lectures the country about the sanctity of process when those same defendants might receive a measure of justice.
