Blanche argues Trump can influence DOJ investigations, including those involving political foes

By Fox News · Fox News

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has a "right" and a "duty" to influence federal investigations, including those regarding the president's political enemies who probed him in the past. Blanche, who was named acting attorney general last week, dismissed the notion that the Justice Department has been improperly going after Trump's opponents and defended the president's influence over federal investigations. "We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now. It is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated," Blanche said at a press conference. "That is his right and indeed it is his duty to do that, meaning to lead this country, and so I do not view this as pressure," he continued. BLANCHE INVOKES 'LOVE' WHEN ASKED ABOUT STAYING ON AFTER BONDI This comes after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday after she failed to secure successful indictments against some of Trump's political rivals and amid bipartisan frustrations with her handling of the Epstein files. The DOJ has opened several investigations into Trump's opponents, including U.S. officials who found that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to boost Trump, Democratic lawmakers who encouraged U.S. service members to ignore unlawful orders, former President Joe Biden's alleged use of an autopen to sign official documents without his direct authorization and liberal donors and fundraising groups. Blanche shut down the idea that the Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ, noting a few of the investigations into Trump that took place under the Biden administration. "You had a president who, along with this department, had assistance, so this department helped two other local DA's go after the president. You had this department who stood idly by while states tried to keep Presiden…