During her confirmation questioning of Todd Blanche, Sen. Mazie Hirono asked Trump’s personal attorney, cosplaying as the acting attorney general, whether he and his team “will continue to cooperate with the New Mexico Department of Justice and help it get the information it needs?”
Blanche gave a misleading answer. He suggested he’d “continue to cooperate” but he did not use the word “cooperate.” He replied, “Yes, we’re continuing to work with them and – yes.”
Hirono thanked Blanche and changed the subject.
But the truth is that Blanche is not cooperating. On June 30, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez wrote to Blanche with “urgent purpose” about the “USDOJ's continued failure to comply with the NMDOJ's outstanding records request.” The letter outlined five different communications with the DOJ seeking unredacted Epstein file records needed to pursue New Mexico’s criminal investigation. A sixth effort sought to set up an in-person meeting during Torrez’s visit to Washington, D.C. “No response was received,” Torrez said.
“Every day that the USDOJ withholds these records, the foundation upon which a New Mexico prosecution could be built erodes,” Torrez wrote. The “continued delay creates legal hurdles related to statutes of limitation and due process.”
Torrez gave Blanche a new deadline of July 31. “Should the NMDOJ not receive access to all relevant records by that date, the request will be considered denied,” the letter states.
It seems pretty clear Blanche is stonewalling.
What’s he hiding and who is he protecting? He is certainly not protecting the victims.
