New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer mocked Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's awkward answer to the question "Are you and President Trump friends?" during his Senate confirmation hearing.
President Donald Trump formally nominated Blanche to serve as attorney general last month after he had spent more than two months leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity. Blanche assumed the role following Trump's dismissal of former Attorney General Pam Bondi in February.
The nomination came just weeks after the Justice Department, under Blanche's leadership, granted Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization immunity from IRS prosecution or enforcement actions related to tax returns filed before the settlement of Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the agency.
During a recent House committee hearing, Bondi also said Blanche was responsible for overseeing the department's compliance with federal requirements governing the release of investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. These facts prompted Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin to accuse Blanche of still acting as Trump's personal attorney.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy then asked Blanche if he and Trump are friends, to which Blanche gave this stumbling response:
“I’m his lawyer—was his lawyer, and now I’m the deputy attorney general. I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I'm not sure if there's very many people who have had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their 'friend."
When Kennedy asked Blanche if he and Trump are "enemies," Blanche insisted that "No, we're not enemies at all."
You can hear what Blanche said in the video below.
The clip quickly caught the attention of Schumer, who replied:
"An all-time Freudian slip and completely disqualifying."
You can see Schumer's response below.
Others joined him in mocking Blanche.
Like it or not, Trump and Blanche have an inappropriate relationship, and Blanche has previously been criticized for fawning over the president.
Several months ago, Blanche made clear he would express his "love" if Trump fired him or chose another person to serve as Bondi's permanent replacement, telling reporters that "working for President Trump .... is the greatest honor of a lifetime."
Oddly, Blanche then claimed that “If he [Trump] chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say ‘Thank you very much. I love you, sir.' I don't have any goals or aspirations beyond that.”
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