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From Trump’s Attorney to Attorney General: The Rise of Todd Blanche
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The Central Paradox: What Got Blanche Here May Undo Him
At 28:28 · chapter starts 27:05
The episode reaches its climax in a single, devastating observation from Thrush: what Blanche did to earn Trump's nomination — overseeing the anti-weaponization fund, signing the IRS immunity deal, dismantling career DOJ staff — may be the very thing that prevents Senate Republicans from confirming him. [1] — Glenn Thrush "What Blanche did to win Trump's trust — the $1.8 billion fund, the IRS immunity deal, the wholesale purge of DOJ career staff — may be the …" 28:20 Barbaro sharpens the paradox: Blanche's argument to senators is essentially 'trust me, things could be much worse without me.' But the things that make him the least bad option are also the things senators find disqualifying. Thrush closes with a reminder that even Republicans who broadly support Trump retain a residual expectation that the DOJ should be more than a presidential instrument — that it should provide legitimacy, defend rule of law, and not be 'undermined and degraded.' Whether Blanche can thread that needle in his confirmation hearing remains genuinely uncertain.
What Blanche did to win Trump's trust — the $1.8 billion fund, the IRS immunity deal, the wholesale purge of DOJ career staff — may be the very thing that prevents Senate Republicans from confirming him. Even Trump's own senators still expect the DOJ to be a bulwark for rule of law.
