A former Justice Department pardon attorney took aim at Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general on Thursday, testifying that Todd Blanche terminated her for refusing to fast-track a firearms restoration for actor Mel Gibson, a Trump ally with a domestic violence conviction.
Liz Oyer told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she declined what amounted to political favoritism and paid the price. "I declined to rubber-stamp a political favor for a friend of the president, and it cost me my job," she said during the second day of Blanche's confirmation hearing.
Blanche had offered a different account the previous day, claiming Oyer's dismissal stemmed from broader disagreements over pardon authority during the final weeks of the Biden administration. "The decisions that she had made as pardon attorney in the weeks and months leading up to the end of President Biden's term were completely inconsistent with President Trump's authority," he testified.
Oyer flatly rejected that explanation. "His claim that it had nothing to do with the concerns I raised is contradicted by documents and evidence," she said, calling his account "provably false."
The Gibson case emerged as a flashpoint in what has become a bruising confirmation battle. Oyer framed Blanche's management style as a troubling blueprint for how he would run the nation's top law enforcement agency if confirmed.
"To the American public, it looks like Mr. Blanche is running the DoJ as Donald Trump's personal law firm," Oyer told senators. "He is using law enforcement powers to pursue petty grudges harbored by the president. These pointless vendettas are wasting our scarce resources and destroying the DoJ's credibility."
She urged the committee to reject the nomination to prevent further damage to the department's independence and standing. "Do not degrade our justice system further" by confirming him, she said.
Author James Rodriguez: "Oyer's testimony adds real teeth to concerns about Blanche's fitness for the job, and the dueling narratives about why she was fired will be hard for senators to ignore."
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