'Exactly why the world hates lawyers': Todd Blanche sparks scorched-earth tirade on CNN

CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams on Monday had a sharp critique for Attorney General Todd Blanche after President Donald Trump's former personal attorney's interview with NBC News.

Blanche said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that he would not pledge the Department of Justice will always act independently — and Williams called out why that was troubling during a segment with CNN anchor Kasie Hunt.

"That statement there isexactly why the world hateslawyers," Williams said. "We hate ourselvesbecause of things like that."

Williams offered a better, more direct question for Blanche.

"Would you take a directive fromthe president to violatestanding Justice Departmentprocedures or policies? Wouldyou follow an illegal order fromthe president?" Williams suggested. "And I don't thinkhe could wiggle out of aquestion like that. But he gave a statement there that was vagueenough and open-ended enoughthat a lawyer could wink and nodand say that it was accurate."

"But come on, given the historyof everything we know about thepresident, everything we knowhe's asked of his attorneysgeneral and, quite frankly,everything Todd Blanche has donein the job, much of what he'sdone in the job up to thispoint, we don't have any reasonto believe that there's anyspace between the AG and thepresident."