Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is free to discuss the federal immigration fraud investigation involving her, which contrasts with the restrictions placed on President Trump during his various legal battles, according to Attorney General Todd Blanche in a recent episode of “Pod Force One.”
Blanche, who acted as Trump’s attorney during four criminal indictments as the 2024 campaign unfolded, couldn’t delve into Omar’s specific case but pointed out the differences in how each individual has been treated. He mentioned that, unlike Trump, there’s no current effort by the Department of Justice to silence Omar. “To the extent that [Omar’s] commented on it, one of the things she said is that we’re not going to keep her quiet,” he remarked while speaking with Miranda Devine.
He further noted, “There’s no effort by the Department of Justice, unlike the last Department of Justice that worked very hard to keep President Trump quiet by getting gag orders and the like – that’s not what we’re doing.”
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith had sought gag orders on Trump regarding election interference and classified documents, with some success in the election interference context, though a judge denied his request for the latter situation.
Additionally, gag orders were also applied to Trump during his civil fraud and hush money trials in New York.
Blanche accused Democrats of “gaslighting the American people” when they allege that Trump is “weaponizing” the Department of Justice against Omar, especially considering how Trump’s treatment has been handled by the Biden administration and various local prosecutors.
“If you look at everything we’ve worked on at the Department of Justice regarding our anti-weaponization task force, it’s clear that there’s a concerted effort to target Trump and his family, with officials like the attorney general in New York aiming to undermine not just him, but his family and businesses,” he said.
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“I don’t think, I know, the American people see right through that,” he added.
On discussing Trump’s emotional state amid escalating legal issues while he was trying to regain the presidency, Blanche described the former president as “frustrated and mad and angry,” yet “never down.”
Here’s the latest on the ongoing immigration investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar
Reflecting on Trump’s mugshot taken in Atlanta, Blanche recalled thinking it might be a low point, given that he had no mugshot from the federal cases or the one in Manhattan. “But what happens? He loved it,” Blanche shared. “It became the whole campaign. Even something that you would think would be, ‘Wow, that must have been the darkest day,’ not for him.” It became, in a way, a rallying point for Trump.
