Blanche Meets the Sunday Show Test Newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday to discuss his new role at the Justice Department. Host Kristen Welker pressed him on whether the DOJ would always act independently from the White House. It was the kind of Sunday-show question built to sound simple, while carrying enough political baggage to require its own overhead compartment. Blanche did not accept the premise. Asked, “Can you pledge that the Justice Department will always act independently of the White House?” he answered, “No, I’m not going to pledge that! And no Attorney General should ever pledge that!” The Dispute Over DOJ Independence Blanche argued that a blanket pledge of independence from the White House would make little sense if the president directed the Justice Department to pursue violent criminals. He said that if President Trump said he wanted the DOJ to go after every violent criminal in the country, the question seemed to imply Blanche should refuse simply because the request came from the White House. His answer was clear: he said he would not do that. Instead, Blanche said, “I will act with integrity. Our prosecutors will act…