1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

When Blanche faced his confirmation hearing, Senators repeatedly asked him the same question: would he serve the Constitution, or the president he had once defended in court? He dodged the questions of course. But occasionally, he happened to slip up. Which one is it, Todd? Since his confirmation, the Attorney General has been busy on the campaign trail. Last month, an event on Long Island for the Republican challenging New York’s governor. Last week, a speech at the Republican midterm convention. This week, a rally for a GOP Senate candidate in North Carolina. At every stop he dutifully praised Trump. A watchdog group filed a complaint under the law that bars government officials from using their office to influence elections. The Justice Department called the accusations baseless. But Blanche isn’t helping that shameless denial. He told the Associated press he wasn’t endorsing candidates, just “talking about the great work that president Trump is doing.” For fifty years, attorneys general have promised to uphold the law over political agenda. And they have meant it. But not in this administration. Todd Blanche’s predecessor, Pam Bondi, never learned that lesson. She swore allegiance to Trump and turned the Justice Department into his law firm. And Blanche has continued her work. He has not only pushed Trump’s political agenda on the campaign trail but also his legal agenda at the DOJ. That means pursuing investigations into the president’s enemies, while blocking ones into Trump’s sketchy friends and donors. Remember Bill Clinton briefly talking to Loretta Lynch was a scandal? What is this then? With each passing week, Blanche reminds us that he is, not was, President Trump’s lawyer. And he certainly isn’t acting like the Attorney General of the United States.