Liz Oyer, a former pardon attorney in the Department of Justice, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, urging senators to reject the nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general. Oyer was fired by Blanche after she refused to recommend restoring firearms rights to actor Mel Gibson, a Trump ally convicted of domestic violence.
Oyer's Testimony and Allegations
“I declined to rubber-stamp a political favor for a friend of the president, and it cost me my job,” Oyer told the committee on the second day of Blanche's confirmation hearing. She described the request to restore Gibson's gun rights as a political favor that she would not endorse.
Blanche, during his Wednesday testimony, denied that Oyer's recommendation led to her termination. He stated, “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.”
Oyer Refutes Blanche's Claims
On Thursday, Oyer called Blanche's comments “provably false.” She added, “His claim that it had nothing to do with the concerns I raised is contradicted by documents and evidence.” Oyer presented no specific documents during her testimony but maintained that the evidence supports her account.
Oyer urged senators to consider the broader implications of Blanche's nomination. “To the American public, it looks like Mr Blanche is running the DoJ as Donald Trump's personal law firm,” she said. “He is using law enforcement powers to pursue petty grudges harbored by the president. These pointless vendettas are wasting our scarce resources and destroying DoJ's credibility.”
Impact and Context
The confirmation hearing has highlighted tensions between the Trump administration's political interests and the independence of the Justice Department. Oyer's firing, which she attributes to her refusal to act on a political favor, has become a focal point for critics of Blanche's nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche's nomination in the coming days.
