On Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas — the same event where Mike Lindell got served on camera — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche gave a fireside chat in which he made a remarkable admission. Blanche is Trump's former personal criminal defense attorney, the man who defended him through two federal prosecutions, now running the Justice Department as its number-two official. He told the CPAC audience: "Even in this administration, everybody's afraid that the next administration, if we don't win, we're going to all be investigated and indicted. And why are they afraid? Because that's exactly what happened during the last administration." He then bragged that he had purged over 200 DOJ attorneys and FBI officials who had any role in prosecuting Trump, saying there was "not a single man or woman at the Department of Justice who had anything to do with those prosecutions."
"Even in this administration, everybody's afraid that the next administration, if we don't win, we're going to all be investigated and indicted."
— Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General of the United States, at CPAC, March 26, 2026Sit With That for a Moment.
The second-highest law enforcement official in the United States stood in front of a conservative conference and admitted that his entire administration believes it has done things that a future Justice Department could legitimately prosecute. That is what the fear of investigation means. Innocent people who followed the law don't lie awake worrying about being indicted. They worry about being indicted when they know — because they were there — what was done and how it was done. Blanche did not say "we're afraid of politically motivated prosecution." He said "we're afraid of being investigated and indicted" and explained that the reason is because they watched what happened to Trump. What happened to Trump was that grand juries — drawn from regular citizens — found the evidence sufficient to indict him. Twice. The mechanism Blanche fears is not partisan persecution. It is the ordinary functioning of the legal system he now controls.
What the Administration Has Done to Prevent Accountability.
The fear Blanche described is not passive. The administration has been systematically dismantling every mechanism that could hold it accountable — not as a side effect of policy priorities but as an explicit, documented strategy. Here is the documented record:
Every attorney and FBI official who had any role in either Trump prosecution has been fired, resigned, or pushed out. Termination letters explicitly stated they could not be trusted because of their "significant role in prosecuting the President." The DOJ Public Integrity Section — created after Watergate to investigate corrupt officials — was cut from 36 lawyers to two and stripped of authority to file new cases.
New York AG Letitia James (who won a $454M fraud judgment against Trump) — indicted, though a federal judge later disqualified the prosecutor as unlawfully appointed. Former FBI Director James Comey — indicted, case thrown out. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — DOJ criminal investigation opened. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — investigated. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell — subpoenaed, possible criminal indictment threatened. Six members of Congress — DOJ attempted grand jury indictment, grand jury refused.
The SEC's top enforcement official resigned last week after agency leaders blocked her from aggressively pursuing cases touching Trump's circle. In 2025 the administration canceled 159 enforcement actions against 166 companies — more than 30 of which donated to Trump's inauguration or White House.
The DOJ itself opened an internal probe of two of its own officials — Pulte and Martin — for potentially jeopardizing criminal cases against Trump's enemies by violating DOJ guidelines. The apparatus is eating itself.
The Self-Awareness Is the Confession.
There is something clarifying about Blanche's admission. Political actors rarely tell you exactly what they're doing and why. Blanche did. He told you that the administration is afraid of being held accountable, that this fear drives their behavior, and that they have specifically dismantled the oversight mechanisms that would enable accountability. He dressed it up as a warning about Democratic overreach, but the structure of the argument is an admission. You don't systematically fire every prosecutor who worked on Trump's cases, cut the watchdog unit from 36 lawyers to two, cancel 159 enforcement actions, and threaten to indict the Federal Reserve chair unless you believe the people doing those things have exposure. The administration is not worried about being framed. It is worried about being caught. Those are different things. Blanche confirmed which one it is.
This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.
- The Daily Beast: Blanche CPAC quote in full; fear of 2028 prosecution; Sidney Powell plea deal context; Kristi Noem/Lewandowski $220M no-bid contract scrutiny.
- CNN: Blanche boast that "not a single man or woman" at DOJ touched Trump prosecution remains; 200+ figure; termination letters citing "significant role in prosecuting the President"; DOJ offices gutted.
- ABC News: Full list of individuals targeted by Trump DOJ — James, Comey, Walz, Frey, six members of Congress; grand jury refused indictment of lawmakers; Bolton indictment.
- NBC News: DOJ subpoena of Federal Reserve; criminal indictment threat against Powell; Sen. Tillis refusal to confirm Fed nominees; Warren "wannabe dictator" quote.
- Axios: 159 enforcement actions canceled; 30+ companies that received canceled actions donated to Trump inauguration; SEC enforcement chief resignation; DOJ Public Integrity Section cut from 36 to 2.