Attorney General Todd Blanche offered a public defense of US Attorney for Washington, DC, Jeanine Pirro on Sunday, following her decision to drop a federal vandalism case that drew the ire of President Donald Trump. Blanche stated his support for Pirro, a long-time Trump ally, arguing she should not be judged on a single case where, according to a court filing by her office, “botched” construction work was primarily to blame for the damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“I absolutely support US Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump,” Blanche said during a television appearance. “Now, that’s different than whether the president is extraordinarily frustrated at what happened in that case. And I don’t in any way fault him for that.”
The case involved a former Olympian initially charged with vandalizing the pool's lining. President Trump had publicly blamed vandals for the damage without providing evidence, creating a rift with his appointee's prosecutorial judgment. Blanche sought to refocus the conversation on other enforcement actions, noting Pirro’s office recently charged a Kentucky woman for spraying graffiti on the National Mall’s World War II memorial.
Blanche’s comments took a significant turn when he was asked to guarantee the Justice Department would always act independently of the White House. “No, I can’t pledge that,” Blanche stated, arguing he cannot obligate himself to oppose policy goals set by the president. This stance erodes the traditional firewall meant to insulate federal prosecutorial decisions from political pressure.
“Will I take the president of the United States’ view on something into consideration? Yes, of course,” Blanche said. He maintained, however, that the president does not expect mindless agreement and that prosecutors “will act with integrity” and “prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.” The acknowledgment injects fresh uncertainty into the independence of the Justice Department under an administration that has consistently prioritized political loyalty in its executive appointments.