Todd Blanche on U.S. Politics

Public disputes concerning political parties, public officials, institutions, political conduct, and governance in the United States.

How we classify topics

Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.

Statement history

5 statements on this page. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 8, 2026

5 matching statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 8, 2026

5 published statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 8, 2026

Defended or excused

3 published statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to September 27, 2026

3 statements on this page. Dates: January 19, 2026 to September 27, 2026

Todd Blanche

Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, interviewed on ABC's This Week

September 27, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the White House's removal of CNN from the television pool covering Trump's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, saying Trump has every right to decide who flies with him and that being in the White House is a privilege, not a right. He said deciding which reporters travel with the president is routine, and argued inaccurate reporting could affect national security by shaping how foreign governments and adversaries perceive the administration. Asked about the separate court ruling ordering CNN, MS NOW and Politico's broader access restored, Blanche said the order was temporary and the litigation was ongoing.

“The president has every right to decide who gets to fly on his plane, and it is national security, especially on Air Force One, and especially at the White House. Being in the White House is a privilege; it's not a right.”

Open sourceMEAWW: Todd Blanche defends Trump's Air Force One press restrictionsParagraphs quoting Blanche's interview on ABC's This Week

Report on Attorney General Todd Blanche's Sept. 27 interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week," defending the White House's removal of CNN from the television pool covering Trump's Sept. 26 trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. It quotes Blanche at length, including his statement that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right, and his response to the judge's ruling in the separate lawsuit over the broader exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

Archived copy

Why we used this label

Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Blanche defends the related decision to drop CNN from the Air Force One pool, calling access a privilege and citing national security. That defends continuing to restrict access, so we labeled it Defended or excused.

Read statement Full case: Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?

Todd Blanche

Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, at a White House press briefing

September 15, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

At a Rose Garden briefing on the day Massie forced action on his resolution, Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Hegseth and said the Justice Department actively ensures that the law is followed.

“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things. So, he follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the laws are complied with.”

Open sourceThomas Massie pushes surprise impeachment vote of Pete HegsethParagraphs on the floor reading and on Blanche’s Rose Garden briefing.

CNN reports Massie reading his resolution aloud on the House floor for multiple hours and carries Attorney General Todd Blanche’s response at a White House Rose Garden briefing. The New York Times Post, CBS News and NBC News reported the same Blanche remarks independently.

Why we used this label

Relative to whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Blanche responds to the impeachment push by praising Hegseth and asserting legal compliance, which argues that there is no violation warranting removal. His claim about the Justice Department’s role is his own assertion, not an established finding.

Read statement Full case: Should Pete Hegseth be impeached?

Todd Blanche

Role at the time: Deputy Attorney General of the United States

January 19, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department would not investigate the shooting, framing Ross as an officer who had been forced to defend himself and saying investigation was not appropriate at this time.

“We don't just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody. We investigate when it's appropriate to investigate.”

Open sourceDOJ says won't investigate ICE agent's fatal shooting of Renee Good · Al JazeeraAl Jazeera, Jan. 19, 2026

Reports the Justice Department's Jan. 19, 2026 decision not to open a federal criminal investigation into the shooting, quoting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

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Why we used this label

Blanche adopts and repeats the framing that Ross acted in self-defense as the basis for declining to investigate, endorsing the justification DHS has offered rather than merely disputing terminology.

Read statement Full case: Was ICE Officer Jonathan Ross justified in fatally shooting Renée Good?

Mixed or conditional

1 published statement. Dates: October 8, 2026

1 statement on this page. Dates: October 8, 2026

Todd Blanche

Role at the time: Todd Blanche, U.S. attorney general, at the October 8 White House news conference

October 8, 2026Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Blanche says a company would warrant investigation if it discriminated against American workers in favor of foreign workers. He names Microsoft and Adobe while describing that condition.

“if a company, even including Microsoft, Adobe or any other, discriminates against an American worker in favor of someone on the other side of the world, that company has violated the trust of the federal government and the American people and will be investigated.”

Watch the original videoJD Vance press conference on visa fraud, October 8, 2026Full 44:19 recording; Microsoft figures at 2:49-4:23; further discussion at 30:12-30:48 and 34:45-35:42

The complete press conference contains Vance's comparison of Microsoft layoffs, H-1B visas and green cards, his PERM announcement, and subsequent questions.

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Why we used this label

The reference point is Microsoft's alleged replacement of American workers through visa programs. Blanche condemns discrimination while making his statement about Microsoft expressly conditional.

Read statement Full case: Did Microsoft replace laid-off American workers with H-1B workers, as JD Vance claims?

Explicitly stayed out

1 published statement. Dates: September 15, 2026

1 statement on this page. Dates: September 15, 2026

Todd Blanche

Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, answering a reporter’s question at a White House briefing

September 15, 2026Explicitly stayed out

Statement summary

Asked at a White House briefing whether the administration would deport Rep. Ilhan Omar if she were found to have committed immigration fraud, Attorney General Todd Blanche said “I’m not talking about ongoing criminal investigations” and that he had nothing to say about the question “or … public reporting about what others have said about ongoing investigations.”

“I’m not talking about ongoing criminal investigations” … “I don’t have anything to say about your first question or anybody that’s … public reporting about what others have said about ongoing investigations.”

Watch the original videoAttorney General of the United States Todd Blanche Briefs Members of the Media, Sep. 15, 2026 · The White House08:04-08:56 (reporter's question and Blanche's answer).

The White House's video of Attorney General Todd Blanche's September 15, 2026 briefing. A reporter asks about Tom Homan's remarks on Rep. Ilhan Omar at about 08:14.

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Why we used this label

Blanche refuses to discuss any investigation of Omar, citing the general category of ongoing criminal investigations, and neither confirms nor denies one. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”, because he does not disavow the accusation; it loses because he expresses no view on the accusation or the investigation and closes the topic.

Read statement Full case: Should Trump administration officials publicly accuse Rep. Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud?