Todd Blanche rejects Barack Obama’s claims he is targeting Trump’s critics: ‘Simply false’

WASHINGTON, DC: Todd Blanche seems unwilling to lose even a moment’s sleep over what he views as the “extraordinarily rich” concerns directed at his department.

The acting US Attorney General, on Wednesday, May 06, came out to refute former President Barack Obama’s concerns Justice Department is engaging in a retribution campaign against President Trump's critics.

Since Blanche took over leadership last month after previously serving as the department’s second-in-command, the Justice Department has found itself engulfed in controversy over prosecutions involving Trump critics such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Critics have also voiced concerns that the agency, once known for maintaining a distance from the White House, is drifting away from its reputation as a politically independent institution.

Barack Obama says AG is ‘not the president’s consigliere’

Obama, on Tuesday, appeared on Stephen Colbert’s 'The Late Show', where he voiced similar concerns, warning against allowing the attorney general to become the president’s “consigliere.”

He also emphasised the need for the nation’s top prosecutor to remain independent of political influence.

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted,” Obama said.

“The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer, it’s not the president’s consigliere,” he added, referencing the Italian term for an adviser or counselor.

His remarks did not mention Trump personally but appeared to be directed at the president.

Todd Blanche says allegations are false

Speaking to CBS News, Blanche dismissed claims that the Justice Department is carrying out a political revenge campaign as “simply false,” insisting prosecutors are merely “doing our jobs” and focused on “making America safe again.”

Responding to Obama’s remarks, Blanche reached into his pocket for a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution and turned directly to the section outlining the powers of the executive branch.

"Article Two says, 'the executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America.' It does not say that the Attorney General stands off to the side," Blanche said.

Blanche pointed out that he serves as part of Trump’s Cabinet and maintained that the president has the authority to steer the nation “in all areas,” including matters involving criminal justice.

"To the extent that President Trump calls me and says that he thinks that we have a problem in this country, whether it's the scourge of d***s, illegal immigration," he said, "every American wants him to do that, and he should."

Blanche also scoffed at Democratic accusations that Trump is weaponizing the justice system against his political rivals, calling the claims “extraordinarily rich.”

Instead, he pointed to the wave of criminal cases Trump faced before reclaiming the White House last year, including prosecutions brought by state authorities in New York and Georgia, as well as a federal special counsel investigation.