After the Democrats’ triumph in the midterm elections, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanch said the Justice Department would support and defend members of the Trump administration who could face investigations by the new congressional majority.
Blanch, a former personal lawyer to President Trump, told CNN that one of his main responsibilities was to defend the government and representatives of the executive branch.
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“As attorney general, one of my duties is to defend the government,” he said.
Referring to Stephen Miller, the president’s influential adviser and one of the architects of the mass deportation policy, Blanch said the Justice Department would step in to defend him if he were prosecuted. Miller was appointed to the strategic position of White House chief of staff on Friday.
“If they go after Stephen Miller, the Justice Department will be there to defend him,” Blanch said.
He added that the same approach would apply to any other Cabinet member or administration official, arguing that Justice Department lawyers routinely represent executive branch officials.
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, accused Blanch of continuing to act as “Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.”
In an interview with CNN, Garcia said Blanch wanted only to defend Trump, Cabinet members and his administration’s officials, emphasizing that this was not the attorney general’s job.
Garcia is expected to lead the House Oversight and Accountability Committee starting in January. He noted that Congress has the authority to oversee the executive branch by investigating corruption, passing laws and taking measures to prevent further corruption.
The congressman called Donald Trump the most corrupt person ever to hold the office of president of the United States, while describing the Trump family as “the most corrupt family ever to occupy the Oval Office.”
He said family members should be prepared to answer questions about how they had grown wealthy since Donald Trump began his presidency.
The Democrats’ sweeping victory in Tuesday’s elections upended the political balance in Washington. Starting in January, the Republican president will face a changed and hostile climate, as Democrats took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Congressional committee investigations could lead to subpoenas and then the initiation of impeachment proceedings. However, the chances of those proceedings succeeding remain low, as conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds majority.
