2 House Democrats float idea of Blanche impeachment

Two House Democrats are already floating the impeachment of Attorney General Todd Blanche after the GOP’s sweeping midterm election defeats, suggesting Democrats could win enough Republican support in the Senate to remove him from office.

Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) voiced their support for impeaching Blanche on Thursday, just two days after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate.

“I personally believe that the offenses of Todd Blanche demand that he be impeached and convicted and removed from office,” Johnson said in an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Dan Abrams Show.”

“That’s my personal opinion. I think his efforts to undermine the rule of law can’t go unaddressed,” he added.

Johnson was responding to a question from host Dan Abrams about how Democrats could address the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged use of its authority to pursue political retribution under President Trump.

Ross, who appeared on the program after Johnson, agreed with Johnson’s assessment, but also suggested Democrats target Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first.

“100 percent,” Ross said when asked whether she supported impeaching Blanche. “But I think we should start with Hegseth.”

The Pentagon chief could face an impeachment vote as soon as next week, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) spearheading the effort.

Ross said she also expected an impeachment resolution against Blanche, telling Abrams, “I can’t imagine we won’t have one.”

She pointed to Democrats’ newly won Senate majority as a reason impeachment proceedings could have a different outcome than previous efforts to remove Trump from office.

“When you’ve got 56 Democrats, and there are still some Republicans who have bucked Trump who are there, there is a chance that some of this will happen,” Ross said.

Blanche’s leadership at the DOJ has faced renewed scrutiny, including its intervention in Alaska’s Senate election.

Trump directed the department to file a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the race under certain circumstances if Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) lost to Democrat Mary Peltola, arguing that the addition of a candidate with a similar name to Sullivan’s could confuse voters and potentially affect the outcome of the race.

The DOJ also saw a high-profile departure on Thursday when Harmeet Dhillon, the head of its Civil Rights Division, announced her resignation following months of criticism over her handling of civil rights enforcement.