Congressional Black Caucus Urges Senate to Reject Todd Blanche for U.S. Attorney General

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09)and members of the Congressional Black Caucusissued the following statement:

"Todd Blanche has been at the center of some of the Trump Administration's most controversial efforts, from the cover-up of the Epstein files to the creation of a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund used to pay millions to convicted criminals and January 6 insurrectionists. He has also sought to undermine Congress's constitutional oversight authority by targeting Black elected officials, including by bringing baseless charges against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for conducting lawful oversight-charges that should be immediately dropped.

"Throughout his time in Washington, Todd Blanche has demonstrated unwavering fealty to Donald Trump rather than an independent commitment to serving the American people. As it stands, Todd Blanche's tenure at the DOJ has already been detrimental to Black communities from advancing the Administration's efforts to roll back decades of civil rights progress, to attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, to turning a blind eye to misconduct by law enforcement officials. There is little reason to believe that will change if he becomes the nation's top law enforcement official.

"Time and again, Blanche has made clear that he does not view the Department of Justice as an independent institution. Instead, his actions suggest a willingness to expand presidential power by using the nation's top law enforcement agency to target Donald Trump's perceived political opponents, shield the president and his family from accountability, and interfere with state election administration, among other alarming overreaches of power. The American people deserve an Attorney General who upholds the rule of law-not one whose primary allegiance is to Donald Trump.

"The Senate must resoundingly reject this nomination-full stop."