Days after Todd Blanche, the President’s personal attorney, was confirmed as Attorney General, the Department of Justice issued a memo to insulate Trump’s inner circle from accountability, and provide a blueprint for how to hide corruption from the American people. With Democrats increasingly likely to take back Congress and wield subpoena power, Trump’s DOJ henchmen are preparing to stonewall the American people to hide their corruption and chaos.
Trump’s DOJ issued an opinion shielding more of his communications.
Days after Todd Blanche was contentiously confirmed as Attorney General, his Department of Justice issued a memo claiming Trump can assert executive privilege over communications “with private advisers … so long as they relate to official presidential decisionmaking, involve or reflect communications with the President or his direct advisers, and are confidential.” [Punchbowl News]
Not only does this memo attempt to shield Trump’s communications with both government employees and private citizens, it also claims to shield any of Trump’s direct advisers’ communications as well. [Alternet]
This memo would “let any president — including President Donald Trump — wall off a broad swath of communication from congressional scrutiny.” [Punchbowl News]
This broad expansion of executive privilege is out of line with legal precedent and critics of the memo argue that this move “creates a dangerous loophole” that would allow outside influencers to secretly shape national policy. [Alternet]
The timing of this announcement is no accident, coming “as Democrats look increasingly likely to win back the House – and subpoena power.” [Punchbowl News]
DOJ’s memo is custom-built to protect Trump and his cronies from oversight.
This legal opinion seems to particularly benefit Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer and political strategist who Trump called his “psychiatrist,” who is facing demands for testimony and records. [Politico; Alternet]
Epshteyn was also the subject of congressional investigations in 2024 over his “cash for cabinet appointment” scheme. His communications with other figures in Trump’s orbit could be the subject of future subpoenas from a Democratic congress, hence the DOJ’s memo shielding him. [Senate Finance Committee; Alternet]
The American Bar Association is suing the Trump administration for its “intimidation policy” against law firms and is seeking to depose Epshteyn as part of that case—something Trump’s DOJ is desperate to avoid. [Bloomberg Law]
This isn’t Trump’s first time abusing executive privilege to protect his shady dealings. In Trump’s first term he attempted to exert executive privilege to conceal White House visitor logs, which would allow him to hide which corporations come to lobby in his office. This memo is another attempt by Trump to hide secret deals as he continues to use the presidency to personally enrich himself at the American people’s expense. [Mother Jones, NPR]
While Trump protects his corrupt actions by eliminating oversight, Americans are struggling more than ever. Consumer sentiment has dropped 10% since Trump began his second term and consumer sentiment overall is at a 73-year low. [Steven Rattner]
Americans already see this administration as corrupt and unaccountable, and this memo affirms their judgment.
As Trump’s approval sits at 34%, the worst of his presidency, 64% of Americans believe Trump has gone too far in “pursuing his personal business interests while serving as president” and 60% believe he has gone too far in “using the power of the presidency and the executive branch.” [CNN/SSRS]
Americans do not believe Trump is trustworthy, as 54% call Trump “corrupt,” 54% call him “dishonest,” and 53% call him “hypocritical.” [YouGov]
Even before Blanche was confirmed, Americans were already distrustful of the Department of Justice, giving it a -21 net confidence rating. [Marquette Law School]
56% of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing overseeing the executive branch and holding it accountable. [Economist/YouGov]
Share this post explaining how Todd Blanche will serve Trump in the DOJ, not the American people.
(Photo by Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images)
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