Todd Blanche is facing a wave of fury after volunteering himself for a job critics say no attorney general should ever take.
On Friday, Blanche responded to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, who had warned in a letter that newly promoted White House chief of staff Stephen Miller "should lawyer up."
"Stephen Miller has a lawyer," Blanche fired back during an appearance on Fox News. "It's me, it's me and the entire DOJ."
The remark set off an immediate backlash, with legal observers and Trump critics arguing that Blanche had confused the Justice Department with a private defense firm.
"The Attorney General of the United States thinks he's the Trump administration's defense lawyer," said the popular anti-Trump account Molly Ploofkins. "Impeach him."
George Conway, an attorney and longtime Trump critic, laid out why the arrangement doesn't hold up.
"That's not how it's supposed to work. Government lawyers represent the government, not any individual, even the president," Conway explained. He added that anyone with "potential exposure to claims they violated the law" would be smart to hire private lawyers "who actually can look out for their personal interests."
Former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah, who used to work with Blanche, said the moment "perfectly exemplifies everything wrong with his leadership," accusing Blanche of misstating the attorney general's role and dragging in DOJ lawyers "who are trying to do their real jobs."
Democratic strategist and radio host Leslie Marshall questioned whether the nation's top law enforcement office had become the "private attorney" of the president's chief of staff.
Anti-Trump activist Morgan J. Freeman took a sharper tone.
"Taxpayer-funded attorneys don't exist to shield White House officials from congressional oversight or accountability," Freeman declared. "You're the Attorney General, not Miller's defense attorney. There's a f— difference.”
Glen Murray, a former mayor of Winnipeg, reminded Blanche that he is "sworn to uphold the Constitution and serve the American people," not "shield powerful men" from the law.
Others read Blanche's promise as bad news for Miller himself.
"Stephen Miller is screwed," quipped writer Hemant Mehta, while commentator and activist Heather Thomas predicted, "So he's definitely getting convicted."
Progressive commentator Jack Cocchiarella saw fear behind the bravado. "Oh my god they're terrified," he responded.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova offered a simpler reaction. "Who is going to tell him?" she asked.
Commentator and Democratic strategist Michelle Kinney turned the question back on Blanche, asking, "Does Todd Blanche have a lawyer?"
