Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche pointedly declined to guarantee U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's job on Wednesday after President Donald Trump erupted over dropped charges. Reminding reporters that President Trump can sack any federal prosecutor he chooses, Blanche addressed the growing row within the administration. "If President Trump wanted to fire anybody within his administration, he understands he has the power to do that," Blanche said. "So when he makes a decision about whether to fire a US attorney or anybody else, that's his call."
Despite his reminder, Blanche insisted that Pirro was doing a "phenomenal job." Trump had erupted on Monday after learning that Pirro's office dropped charges against protesters arrested in June over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The President told reporters that the former Fox News star, who built her career on toughness, had "choked" and "folded like an umbrella."
Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, arrived at the White House on Monday evening clutching a box of evidence to justify her decision. Sources told the Daily Mail that the meeting was tense, but she walked out with her job intact. Even so, Trump refused on Tuesday evening to say whether Pirro was safe. "I haven't made a determination," he told reporters. "I told her I was not happy."
Court Filing and Attorney General Nomination
The row followed a 20-page court filing released on Friday, in which government lawyers acknowledged that damage to the pool was likely caused by a botched installation rather than vandalism. The filing cited new evidence proving that damage to the liner "was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented" by the Department of the Interior. "Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt," the filing concluded, prompting Pirro to drop the charges.
Blanche, who previously worked as the president's personal lawyer, is currently serving in an acting capacity following the resignation of Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination for Attorney General on Wednesday, with a final vote expected as soon as Friday.
Reflecting Pool Overhaul and Vandalism Claims
Trump insisted the pool damage had been deliberate, though his account of the evidence wavered. "We have a witness or two witnesses that saw the vandalism, so certainly there was vandalism," Trump said. "In my opinion, it was major vandalism." The President was personally involved in the $16 million overhaul of the pool, part of his drive to beautify Washington before America's 250th anniversary.
Weeks after the rushed refurbishment was finished, sections of the new liner peeled away from the bottom and bobbed to the surface, drawing widespread mockery of the project. Trump blamed vandals for slashing it. Police arrested seven people who had been spotted near the water.
