“I Love You, Sir.” The New AG Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud.
The big picture: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — Trump’s former personal defense attorney — said “I love you, sir” to the president on live television, called DOJ independence since Watergate “the most false statement I’ve ever heard,” and announced the DOJ will subpoena journalists who don’t reveal their sources. He confirmed it’s the president’s “right” and “duty” to tell the Justice Department who to investigate. The DOJ is also investigating January 6th witness Cassidy Hutchinson for perjury through the Civil Rights Division because normal channels can’t make the case.
Why it matters: If the government can jail reporters for protecting sources, sources stop talking. If the president can hand the AG a list of names, the DOJ becomes a political weapon. If DOJ independence is dismissed as a myth, the post-Watergate guardrails are officially gone. AND the man running it isn’t pretending otherwise — he said “I love you” on camera.
The new AG: Todd Blanche replaced Bondi, who was fired for not being aggressive enough against Trump’s enemies. In his first press conference, he said investigating the president’s targets is Trump’s “right” and “duty.” He called the post-Watergate firewall between the White House and DOJ “the most false statement I’ve ever heard.” He said “I love you, sir” on live television.
The impossible request: Most cases Bondi’s DOJ brought against Trump’s enemies stalled or fell apart (Comey, Letitia James, Powell, Democratic lawmakers, Biden autopen probe). The New York Times wrote: the problem is “the impossibility of his request — to bring criminal charges against political targets with little to no evidence or legal justification.” Bondi tried. The cases didn’t work. Now Blanche is expected to deliver.
The Hutchinson case: Trump’s DOJ is investigating Cassidy Hutchinson for alleged perjury before the January 6th Committee. The case is being handled by the Civil Rights Division (normally handles police misconduct, racial discrimination) instead of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office run by Jeanine Pirro. Reports say DOJ officials are skeptical a viable case exists. They’re pursuing it anyway.
The journalist threat: Trump said the DOJ will tell media companies to “give it up or go to jail.” Blanche confirmed subpoenaing reporters is “exactly what we will be doing.” Last year, Trump’s DOJ rescinded Biden-era protections for journalists. In January, the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter’s home. A federal judge blocked the search in February.
By the numbers:
0 — successful prosecutions of Trump’s political enemies under Bondi
1 — Biden-era journalist protection policy rescinded
1 — Washington Post reporter’s home raided by the FBI
1 — “I love you, sir” on live television
The bottom line: The acting AG says “I love you” to the president on camera. He calls DOJ independence a myth. He’s taking investigation targets directly from the White House. He’s pursuing a January 6th witness through the wrong division because normal channels can’t make it work. AND he’s announced that subpoenaing reporters is “exactly what we will be doing.” The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press warned that the most consequential reporting in American history was made possible by source protection. If that’s gone, the public only knows what the government decides to tell them. And the government just told us exactly who’s running the Justice Department. “I love you, sir.”
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