Is Todd Blanche reportedly trying to hit his multiple targets but continues to shoot blanks?
His Family Gun Industry Ties: Todd Blanche has family ties to Check-Mate Industries, a manufacturer of firearm magazines and components, which he mentioned at an NRA convention while discussing Second Amendment policies.
The Mel Gibson Gun Rights Controversy: As Acting Attorney General, Blanche dismissed pardon attorney Liz Oyer amid a shake-up at the Department of Justice. It was later revealed that Oyer had clashed with an aide over whether to restore firearm rights to convicted domestic abuser and actor Mel Gibson.
The Washington Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Incident: Blanche publicly gave a timeline and updates regarding an investigation into a man who approached a security checkpoint with a long gun and discharged a firearm near the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.[1, 2, 3, 4]
His attempts to indict people continues to fail and he defended Trump during his felony convictions
This context makes the phrase "shooting blanks" clear as a metaphorical reference to recent legal defeats. In political and legal commentary, critics use this phrase because U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche's Justice Department has faced repeated setbacks and grand jury rejections in its high-profile attempts to prosecute Donald Trump's political adversaries. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The comparison stems from a stark contrast between his past role as Trump’s defense attorney and his current actions leading the Department of Justice: [1, 2]
Before becoming Attorney General, Blanche was Donald Trump's lead defense attorney. He personally managed the strategy during the New York criminal trial that resulted in Trump's 34 felony convictions related to falsifying business records. Blanche faced criticism from legal analysts for his defense approach, though he publicly maintained that he "very much in his soul" believed the jury should have found Trump not guilty. [1, 2, 3, 4]
High-Profile Grand Jury Failures
After Trump took office, Blanche transitioned into the Department of Justice, where he has pursued criminal charges against individuals who previously investigated or testified against Trump. Critics refer to these efforts as "shooting blanks" due to several swift legal defeats: [1, 2]
The Cassidy Hutchinson Rejection: A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., completely rejected the DOJ's attempt to indict the former White House aide and key January 6 committee witness. [1]
The Dismissed James Comey Case: The DOJ's attempts to charge former FBI Director James Comey were tossed out by a judge who ruled the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed. Legal experts also slammed the case as "dead on arrival" due to expired statutes of limitations. [1, 2]
The Letitia James Dismissal: The department’s prosecution against New York Attorney General Letitia James was similarly thrown out by a judge. [1]
When pressed on the string of failed indictments, he defends the DOJ's record by stating that the high number of failed cases simply shows "that we're working hard" and claimed that "grand jurors don't get everything right". He has asserted that the President has a "right and duty" to influence federal probes against political opponents, a stance that has drawn sharp pushback from civil rights groups and lawmakers who accuse him of weaponizing the justice system. [1, 2, 3]
And so it goes…
