'Wow': Todd Blanche leaves onlookers flabbergasted with CNN interview answer

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stunned political analysts and observers on Wednesday with one of his answers during a CNN interview.

CNN's Paula Reid asked Blanche in an interview whether people who were convicted of hurting police during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection would be eligible for a payout from the newly created $1.776 fund the Department of Justice created as part of a settlement with President Donald Trump. The fund is meant to compensate people who claim they were wrongly prosecuted under former President Joe Biden's administration. It has also raised concerns that the money could be funneled to Trump's allies.

"Just to be clear, people who hurt police get money all the time," Blanche said during the interview. "There is a process, where if you believe your rights were violated, you can apply for funds, you can file a claim, you can sue, you can go to court."

Blanche's comments come at a time when the Trump administration is facing significant criticism for appearing to flout federal conflict-of-interest laws. The settlement struck between the Trump DOJ and the IRS, both of which are executive agencies that Trump oversees, also included a stipulation that prevents the IRS from auditing Trump, his family members, and entities tied to the Trumps.

Political analysts and observers reacted to Blanche's interview on social media.

"Wow," Jim Stewartson, a writer and political commentator, posted on X. "We should find all these cop killers who are getting paid for it and do something about it. That seems something like an Attorney General would do, as opposed to seeking out cop killers to pay because they wore a red hat when they did it."

"This is the most pro-crime administration in a generation. Not turning a blind eye to crime, but embracing it, defending it, and rewarding it," journalist Pedro L. Gonzalez posted on X.

"Republicans got FURIOUS when they (falsely) claimed Democrats wanted to 'defund the police,'" Hemant Mehta, a former "Jeopardy!" champion, posted on X. "They won’t say a word about Trump’s personal lawyer endorsing a bounty for physically beating cops."