The newly confirmed Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, in his first speech to Department of Justice employees:
“I promise you that I will lead this department with integrity. I promise you that I will focus on our core mission, which is to uphold the rule of law fairly and impartially, to keep this great country safe and to protect the rights of every citizen in this country. And I think about integrity, … it’s a promise that we’re going to uphold the law without fear or favor,” he said. …
“I think disagreement is extraordinarily healthy. I think disagreement is the only way that we make the best decisions as a department, … and I want to encourage everybody to do that,” he added. [Politico]
It’s hard to see anything wrong in the speech, but past actions do not match the speech.
“Under his leadership, hundreds of DOJ’s career workforce have been fired because of their backgrounds, their perceived politics, and for fiercely pushing back in conference rooms throughout the country. Thousands more have left because leadership has consistently violated the principles Blanche articulated: prosecuting defendants based only on the facts and the law; holding those who attack law enforcement accountable; and respecting the courts,” Stacey Young of Justice Connection, a group of former DOJ employees, said in a statement. “Attorney General Blanche’s platitudes will only resonate if his actions start matching his words.”
There’s potential in his words, but if he continues the Bondi tradition at DoJ, then all that potential will be wasted. I admit to being intrigued.
