Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, declined on Sunday to vow independence from White House control.

When asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if he could pledge to always act independently of Trump and the White House, Blanche replied, “No, I’m not going to pledge that. And no attorney general should ever pledge that.”

“There’s a big difference between saying we will always do our job and investigate any case and act independently of the White House,” Blanche said.

The newly confirmed attorney general insisted Trump has never asked him to act unethically or illegally. “The president will never ask me to do something unethical or illegal. He never has, he never will,” Blanche said.

“There is this extraordinarily false narrative that the president wakes up in the morning and calls me and says, ‘Todd, go prosecute X or Y.’ He does not do that,” Blanche added. “He has never done that. He will never do that.”

The Justice Department under Blanche and his predecessor, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, has repeatedly sought to prosecute Trump’s perceived political enemies, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, often under direct pressure from the president.

During Blanche’s tense confirmation process, Democratic and Republican senators alike expressed concerns about whether the nominee could further erode the Justice Department’s independence.

His Senate confirmation vote was delayed until he provided proof to key GOP senators that he had rescinded an order creating a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for alleged victims of wrongful prosecution under the Biden administration. They also sought written assurances to limit a tax immunity deal for Trump and his family.

Blanche reiterated Sunday that the so-called anti-weaponization fund is dead, but said anyone — including people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on the Capitol — could still seek compensation. 

“Well, anybody can file a claim against the federal government. Not just anybody associated with January 6th. I’m not going to sit here and say on a news program whether a litigation that may or may not happen will result in money,” he said.

Reacting to Blanche’s comments, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told MS NOW Sunday afternoon that his leadership is “incredibly dangerous” and she criticized the Senate for confirming him.

“The DOJ is supposed to be the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer, and what he has been doing over and over again is essentially green-lighting everything that the president wants to do — whether or not it is for the benefit of the people, whether or not it’s constitutional,” Jayapal said on “Alex Witt Reports.”

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