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Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sharply criticized Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, calling him "unfit for Attorney General" during a heated exchange over the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Blumenthal accused Blanche of putting Donald Trump's interests above the Department of Justice and criticized his refusal to describe the events of January 6 as an "attack."

The exchange has reignited debate over the independence of the Justice Department, accountability for the Capitol riot, and the political fallout surrounding January 6. Watch the full remarks and decide for yourself.

#Blumenthal #ToddBlanche #DOJ #January6 #CapitolAttack #Trump #DonaldTrump #USPolitics #Senate #CapitolRiot #BreakingNews #Politics #Congress #AttorneyGeneral #OneIndiaNews

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Transcript
00:00At one point when he referred to the attack on the Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021, we all
00:07remember it, we went through it, we saw it, the attack on the Capitol, which injured and contributed to deaths
00:18of our Capitol Police.
00:22He referred to it as, quote unquote, events. He couldn't bring himself to refer to it as an attack, as
00:33it clearly was.
00:34Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I begin with a quote. I'm his lawyer. I'm his lawyer, is what Todd
00:45Blanche said in the course of his confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate.
00:54I'm his lawyer, meaning I'm Donald Trump's lawyer. Now, admittedly, he had no intention of saying it that way. He
01:09had no intention of allowing that revelation to slip.
01:15But it was a glaring illustration of his mindset. He was, he is now, and he will be Donald Trump's
01:30lawyer, his personal lawyer, as he was during criminal and civil trials, a trusted, loyal consigliere.
01:42He's not an independent lawyer with a law firm. He is in-house. He is literally kept by the president
01:54on his personal leash.
02:02You may think I'm overstating it. But, in fact, he demonstrated throughout that hearing.
02:09And the through line was, he will be guided by blind loyalty to the president and contempt for the law,
02:19enabling the president in continued corrupt crypto schemes,
02:25as well as condoning and empowering the president to establish a slush fund for January 6th rioters, as well as
02:41tax immunity.
02:43Even though, purportedly, those agreements were limited, he will enable the president to circumvent the so-called agreements, which are
02:54a sham.
02:55They are a fraud on the United States Senate, just as Todd Blanche committed a fraud on the Florida United
03:07States District Court that referred him to the New York Bar for investigation in connection with that wrongdoing.
03:19Maya Angelou famously said, quote, quote, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time, end quote.
03:28And Todd Blanche has shown us repeatedly who he is, who his boss is, and whose loyalty he will hold
03:40uppermost.
03:43You know, I was a United States attorney in Connecticut for four and a half years,
03:48part of the Department of Justice, which I revered, more than just respected, in fact,
03:55revered, because it epitomized what lawyers should be in upholding the highest standards
04:04of ethics and morality. Even when we made an error, we were supposed to state it, in effect,
04:13acknowledge it before the court. I will never forget the first time I appeared before a
04:21United States District Court judge in Connecticut, a former federal prosecutor himself, and he
04:27asked me, who do you work for? And I said, the government. He said, no, you work for and
04:41you represent the United States of America. Think of it for a moment, walking into a courtroom
04:49representing the United States of America, sworn to uphold the Constitution, not any president,
04:59not a legislature, the United States of America. That is not what Todd Blanch has done as a Justice
05:10Department official under Donald Trump. It is not what he will do, as he showed clearly. Nothing
05:17epitomizes it better than the answer he gave at one point when he referred to the attack on the
05:26Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021. We all remember it. We went through it. We saw it,
05:34the attack on the Capitol, which injured and contributed to deaths of our Capitol Police. He referred to it as,
05:46quote-unquote, events. He couldn't bring himself to refer to it as an attack, as it clearly was,
05:55because Donald Trump will not allow any of his nominees to refer to the January 6 riot and insurrection
06:06as an attack on the Capitol. It was an attack designed to prevent the lawful and peaceful transition
06:15of power. And to call it anything else is disrespectful to the brave Capitol Police who defended us that day,
06:28and disqualifying for a judicial nominee and for any position of trust in the United States government.
06:39Earlier today, I participated in a press conference with some of the prosecutors, the career prosecutors,
06:49who pursued convictions of those rioters for the serious violations of federal law that they incurred.
07:04They made the point that the failure to acknowledge an attack on the Capitol, or that President Biden won the
07:162020 election,
07:18shows a lack of independence that should be disqualifying. They have submitted a letter to all of us here.
07:26I ask that it may be made a part of the record. Without objection? Because they make the point that
07:38these statements by nominees for executive office or for judgeships, in effect, perpetuate the big lie. Election deniers
07:51have no place on the bench or in the Department of Justice. And in fact, in response to my submitted
07:58questions relating to the 2020 election, Todd Blanche refused to state that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
08:07And he stood by his prior statements, perpetuating the big lie. The through line here is, whatever Donald Trump says,
08:17does. Todd Blanche does. He will do anything, say anything, conceal anything that serves Donald Trump's interests.
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