Todd Blanche Thinks You’re Dumb Enough to Believe Him

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “Todd Blanche Thinks You’re Dumb Enough to Believe Him”

The Bulwark – May 21, 2026
Host: Will Saletan

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Episode Overview

This episode is a sharp, satirical breakdown of the recent actions and public statements by Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General, focusing on his willingness to support Trump’s unsubstantiated claims and his attempts to secure the role full-time. Will Saletan uses recent interviews, legal proceedings, and past comparative events to illustrate Blanche’s rhetorical contortions, self-debasement, and the broader implications for American democracy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debasement for the Attorney General Job

• Saletan opens by framing the job of Trump’s Attorney General as one that requires self-humiliation, especially to satisfy Trump’s relentless demands for loyalty and support for his narratives.
  • “[Todd Blanche is] trying really, really hard to get the job full time. And to get it, he’s willing to absolutely humiliate himself.” (00:08)

2. Reinvestigating the 2020 Election

• Saletan recalls that Bill Barr, Trump’s own Attorney General during the 2020 election, dismissed the stolen election narrative:
  • Bill Barr (clip): “I told the President [the stolen election claim] was bullshit.” (00:53)
• Despite Barr’s findings, Blanche is now publicly claiming “a ton of evidence” exists but is hidden:
  • Blanche: “Well, there’s a ton of evidence that the election was rigged. That’s not something the DOJ needs to tell you about.” (01:32)
  • Blanche falls back on vague insinuations and the excuse that evidence is hidden by perpetrators:
    • “They’re very good at hiding up misconduct... hiding what they’re doing.” (02:06)
• Saletan highlights the absurdity and circularity of Blanche’s reasoning:
  • “And the fact that he can’t show us the evidence is more proof that the election was stolen and then covered up. Right.” (02:19)

3. Procrastination and Deferral

• When pressed for updates on the Russia probe, Blanche again defaults to unspecified future revelations:
  • Blanche: “We’re finding out some incredibly troubling things. And at the right time, that will be made public...” (02:48)
• Saletan mocks the endless promise of shocking revelations that never materialize.

4. The James Comey Indictment—Over Seashells

• Blanche’s only concrete “success” is an indictment against former FBI director James Comey for an Instagram post featuring seashells spelling “8647,” which Blanche asserts is a criminal threat to the President:
  • “Threatening the life of the President of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.” (03:34)
• Saletan points out the selective, politicized application of the law by contrasting it with previous similar incidents that went unpunished:
  • “In 2022, Jack Poskobiec posted on x86 46… The Biden Justice Department never prosecuted him. By the standard of that grand jury, Jack Poskobiec should face charges as well.” (04:05)
• Blanche attempts to dodge the double-standard by insisting:
  • “Every investigation is different. You know that. The American people know that.” (04:36)

5. Withholding Evidence and Shifting Standards

• Blanche repeatedly refuses to share any further evidence, insisting on secrecy:
  • “I am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand jury heard or found, as you know…” (05:33)
• Saletan notes the stark contrast with Blanche’s willingness to immediately publicize details in unrelated cases when it served a political narrative:
  • “[12 hours after the White House Correspondents Dinner incident] Blanche was… telling us everything. But now in the Comey case… Blanche has absolutely nothing to show for it.” (06:27)

6. Equating Indictment with Proof of Guilt

• Blanche makes the stunning assertion that indictment alone is proof:
  • “The grand jury indicted Mr. Comey yesterday... the proof that we have is in the fact that the grand jury returned an indictment.” (07:25)
• Saletan hammers this as fundamentally un-American and legally illiterate:
  • “The acting Attorney General of the United States says an indictment is proof of guilt. That is instantly disqualifying… If you’ve ever watched even, like, a TV show about a crime, you know that what he’s saying is completely whacked.” (07:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Will Saletan (on Todd Blanche’s strategy):
  • “He’s reinvestigating the 2020 election. And on Sunday, Maria Bartiromo asked Blanche what he’s found... So where is it? I mean, it’s six years later. Why can’t you show us the evidence that the Democrats stole the election?” (01:20)
• Todd Blanche (on the lack of evidence):
  • “This is very difficult because they’re very good... at hiding what they’re doing.” (02:06)
• Will Saletan (mocking delays):
  • “We’re finding some incredibly troubling things at the right time. At the right time, it will all be made public. Sure.” (02:59)
• Todd Blanche (on the seashell post):
  • “Threatening the life of the President of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.” (03:34)
• Will Saletan (on Blanche’s logic):
  • “The fact that Comey got indicted is itself proof. It’s proof that Comey is guilty.” (07:07)
• Todd Blanche (on evidence):
  • “The proof that we have is in the fact that the grand jury returned an indictment.” (07:25)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:53 – Bill Barr: “I told the President it was bullshit.”
• 01:32 – Blanche: “There’s a ton of evidence that the election was rigged.”
• 02:06 – Blanche: “They’re very good at hiding up misconduct…”
• 02:48 – Blanche teases future revelation on the Russia probe.
• 03:34 – Blanche justifies Comey indictment over “8647” seashells.
• 04:36 – Blanche: “Every investigation is different.”
• 05:33 – Blanche: “I am not permitted to get into the details…”
• 06:07 – Blanche details White House Correspondents Dinner attack within hours, contrasting with Comey case.
• 07:25 – Blanche: “The proof that we have is in the fact that the grand jury returned an indictment.”
• 07:40 – Saletan: “An indictment is proof of guilt. That is instantly disqualifying.”

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Tone and Style

Will Saletan’s tone throughout is biting, sardonic, and exasperated, with a heavy dose of legal and political sarcasm. The episode skewers Blanche’s evasions, double standards, and disregard for legal norms, presenting a sober, if darkly humorous, warning about the state of American justice under partisan pressures.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode highlights how the pursuit of power and loyalty to Trump is driving some officials like Todd Blanche to abandon legal and ethical standards, seeking to justify every action with evasions, whataboutism, and manufactured proof. It’s a pointed critique—grounded in direct quotes and factual comparisons—of the corrosive effects of political loyalty on justice, integrity, and the truth.

Transcript

[Will Saletan]

Hey, it's Will Salatan from the Bulwark. So what do you think is the most degrading job in Washington? I mean, it's a long list, but the answer might be Donald Trump's Attorney General. So right now, Trump has an acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche. And Blanche is trying really, really hard to get the job full time. And to get it, he's willing to absolutely humiliate himself. So today, I'm going to show you Todd Blanche debasing himself to do whatever Trump tells him to do. So let's start with the 2020 election. You might recall that during that election, Trump had an Attorney General, Bill Barr. And Barr investigated Trump's allegations that the election was stolen. And here's what Barr found.

[Todd Blanche]

I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was st and putting out this stuff, which I told the President was bullshit.

[Will Saletan]

Bullshit. That was Trump's Attorney General saying, I looked into this, and it's bullshit. But now, six years later, Blanche is trying to get the job that Bill Barr had. So he's reinvestigating the 2020 election. And on Sunday, Maria Bartiromo asked Blanche what he's found. Now, the President says all the time that the election was rigged. What have you done about that? Do you have any evidence that the election was rigged? What can you tell us?

[Todd Blanche]

Well, there's a ton of evidence that the election was rigged. That's not something the DOJ needs to. Needs to tell you about. There's been evidence about that for many, many years. What I can tell you is that we have multiple investigations going on in Arizona, in Georgia, in Fulton County, Georgia.

[Will Saletan]

Oh, there's a ton of evidence. Oh, yeah, we've been looking at Georgia. We've been looking at Arizona. We got lots and lots of proof. Okay, so where is it? I mean, it's six years later. Why can't you show us the evidence that the Democrats stole the election?

[Todd Blanche]

By the way, this is very difficult because they're very good. They're very good at hiding up misconduct and hiding. Hiding what they're doing.

[Will Saletan]

Oh, so the reason he can't show us the evidence is it's all been hidden.

[Todd Blanche]

Right.

[Will Saletan]

And the fact that. That he can't show us the evidence is more proof that the election was stolen and then covered up. Right. And in that same interview, Bartiromo asked Blanche for an update on another. Another investigation about, you know, the giant conspiracy to make it look like Trump has some weird thing for Vladimir Putin, which he obviously does. I'd like to know why it's taking so long.

[Todd Blanche]

We're finding out some incredibly troubling things. And at some point, at the right time, that will be made public, and the American people will see exactly what happened. Ooh.

[Will Saletan]

We're finding some incredibly troubling things at the right time. At the right time, it will all be made public. Sure. But on one thing, Blanche actually has produced an indictment. Three weeks ago, he got an indictment of James Comey, the former FBI director, for posting this image on social media. It's actually an overhead view of seashells on a beach. And you can see they spell out 8647. And here's what Blanche said about that picture.

[Todd Blanche]

Threatening the life of the President of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.

[Will Saletan]

Wow. So Blanche says those numbers, 86, 47, are a criminal threat to kill the President. That's odd, because apparently, apparently if you write 8646, which would be a reference to the former President, Joe Biden, that's not a criminal threat to kill the President.

[Interviewer or Commentator]

Let's do a Compare and contrast. Mr. Blanch. In 2022, someone well known in right wing circles, Jack piscobac, posted on x86 46. He did not take it down. He did not apologize. Mr. Comey has done both of those things. The Biden Justice Department never prosecuted him. By the standard of that grand jury, Jack Poskobiec should face charges as well. Will the Justice Department pursue that case? Because they sound very similar.

[Will Saletan]

Good question. So how did Blanche answer it?

[Todd Blanche]

You cannot compare. Well, what happened last time, what happened this time. Every investigation is different. You know that. The American people know that.

[Will Saletan]

Oh, yeah, every investigation is different. I mean, it's not at all about treating Trump differently from Biden. Right. And Blanche says the seashells are just. They're just part of the investigation. He says, oh, he has a lot more evidence against Comey. How does that image of seashells amount to a serious threat against the President's life?

[Todd Blanche]

Well, every case requires an investigation. And what you just showed is one part of that investigation. What you just showed is the Instagram post. Rest assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in North Carolina, the career FBI agents, the career Secret Service agents that investigated this case, didn't just look at the Instagram post and walk away.

[Will Saletan]

Okay, so it sounds like he's found more evidence. Right. So what is it?

[Todd Blanche]

I am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand jury heard or found, as you know. But rest assured, that it's not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted.

[Will Saletan]

Oh, so. So he's not permitted to get into the details. You know, that's weird, because remember the guy who tried to attack the White House Correspondents Dinner? I could swear. I could swear that within, like, 12 hours of that incident, Blanche was, like, all over TV telling us lots of details about that evidence.

[Todd Blanche]

We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then from Chicago to Washington, D.C. we're still looking into. Into what happened, how he got the guns, if he got them legally. But what we do know is, is that. Is that he tried to use them. He did have two firearms and some knives on his person when he tried to use them.

[Will Saletan]

That. That was 12 hours after the incident. Blanche was. He was telling us everything. But now in the Comey case, I mean, it's been 12 months since that picture of the seashells, and Blanche has absolutely nothing to show for it. Okay. Instead, he's claiming that since all that time has passed, just the time itself, that must mean that the investigators have more evidence against Comey.

[Todd Blanche]

And it should be evident by the fact that it's been 11 months since the posting and the indictment. There is an investigation that takes place, and that's the result. The result of that investigation is the indictment that was returned last week.

[Will Saletan]

In fact, he claims that the fact that Comey got indicted is itself proof. It's proof that Comey is guilty.

[Interviewer or Commentator]

Do you have proof that the former FBI director knowingly and willfully threatened the life of the President?

[Todd Blanche]

The grand jury indicted Mr. Comey yesterday. Grand juries hear evidence. That evidence is not something that anybody can talk about today. But when you talk about whether proof exists, the proof that we have is in the fact that the grand jury returned an indictment.

[Will Saletan]

Wait a minute. The acting Attorney General of the United States says an indictment is proof of guilt. That is instantly disqualifying. Look, you don't even have to go to law school. If you've ever watched even, like, a TV show about a crime, you know that what he's saying is completely whacked. And let me show you the indictment of Comey. Here it is. All it says is that Comey posted a picture of seashells in the shape of 8647. That's it. That's the whole thing. It's two pages. There's no other evidence presented. Okay, so if Blanche has nothing to show us against Comey, then why did Comey get indicted? Well, here's an obvious.