Whether or not Todd Blanche will be confirmed as Attorney General remains uncertain. As the Senate hearings continue, Senator Cory Booker will convene a spotlight forum on Wednesday, July 22 to “examine the Department of Justice’s abandonment of the rule of law, its failure to deliver justice for Epstein survivors, and the erosion of institutional independence under an Acting Attorney General who answers to the President rather than the Constitution.”
During the Senator’s sit down with April, the two discuss how Blanche acts as both sword and shield for Donald Trump. While urging Americans to call their Senators and voice their opposition to Blanche’s confirmation, he emphasized the value of supporting trustworthy, independent media.
Democratic Senator Cory Booker is the senior senator from New Jersey. He has served in the Senate since 2013.
The following transcript has been edited for formatting purposes.
April Ryan
We are here again with a special edition of The Tea, and we are here with none other than U.S. Senator, New Jersey’s finest, Cory Booker, and this is about a serious topic, a serious situation, this controversy over the man who wants to become the nation’s top cop. Todd Blanche. He wants to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. as the head of the Department of Justice, some say the Department of Injustice under his watch, but we have with us none other than Senator Cory Booker, who is having a hearing. He’s having his own hearing. This is not a formal hearing like we normally see, but you’re having a hearing as it relates to anything, that Todd Blanche has touched to include victims of… well, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and others, and persons from justice… from the justice system as well?
Senator Booker
Yeah, and this may sound a little processy, but we had the hearing, and it was the least amount of minutes that Sen has ever had to question a nominee for such a high position. And, so we wanted to have more witnesses come forward. So we have an incredible spotlight forum for tomorrow, where we’re going to have testimony from people, one courageous survivor of the Epstein crimes. We have somebody else that worked closely with Todd Blanche, that has a lot to say about them. It’s going to be really, really, revelatory. It’s going to show a lot about why this man is so unqualified, for the job that he is seeking.
April Ryan
Everyone is saying on every level, is it more Epstein? Is it more his lack of justice for America and more for the president? What is it, in your opinion, especially as you just did have two days of hearings, a confirmation hearing, as well as an oversight hearing, I guess, of the DOJ under his watch. What is it more so for you?
Senator Booker
Well, I think it’s really two things. fundamentally, he is acting as a sword for the president, and a shield from the president, from… from justice. And so let’s look at these two things. The sword. He has, during his tenure. use that office to persecute people that Donald Trump has told him to persecute. Remember, he’s going after LaMonica McIver, who I was just with, for going to do… she was trying to do a typical oversight visit over Delaney Hall, where they’re this for-profit private prison. That is holding immigration folks in conditions that have been making the news. Yes. How problematic they are. And he… during that visit, he arrested and charged my mayor. The court laughed it out of the court. The judges laughed it out of court, as well as LaMonica McIver. But remember, this is a guy who went after Comey. Why? Because he spelled out things with seashells that people across the aisle have said is crazy. So he’s the sword for the president, going after people in trumped-up charges to court after court is… is saying is ridiculous. He’s also the shield of the president. Remember, he’s the guy that did not meet the dictates of the bipartisan law about releasing the Epstein files. And when he finally did, he violated that law by withholding and redacting the names of powerful people But exposing women to more re-traumatization by releasing their names. images, telephone numbers, addresses, and more personal details. So here is a guy that’s going to great lengths to protect the president. Remember, how suspicious does it look that he would rush to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, have two days of interviews with her, leads to no prosecutions, no convictions, but yet she somehow goes to a very cushy prison camp. Bureau of Prisons’ own rules and regulations, sex offenders are not supposed to be sent to. So this is a guy that is clearly going to be using his office, both to fight the President’s personal battles and to shield the President from justifiable scrutiny and accountability.
April Ryan
We, the Contrarian and The Tea with April, just spoke with Kristen Clarke, the General Counsel for the NAACP, and she said this about Todd Blanche and the Justice Department under its watch, under his watch. This Justice Department has become the personal law firm of Donald Trump. This Justice Department is not committed to fair and independent and partial enforcement of the law. Bottom line, we’ve seen, as you listed, some of the items. One thing that’s blaring for me is the Supreme Court allowed Lisa Cook to keep her job. the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve Board to keep her job. And even after the Supreme Court made this final decision, they are still… the Justice Department is still trying to indict her, because she is a Black woman. Is that correct, sir?
Senator Booker
Again, yes, yes, yes.
April Ryan
So, Jeff?
Senator Booker
Justice Department is continuing to do the bidding, not of the law. not of justice, but of what Donald Trump is instructing and directing this man to do. That violates the very ideals that we have that the highest law enforcement officer in the land works for the people, and not the president.
April Ryan
So, at the end of the day, You talk with Republicans, you… and they talk to you quietly behind closed doors, and they don’t say what they say to you in public. But what are they saying about Todd Blanche? Because We’re hearing there’s some defections, you know, out of North Carolina and some other places. What are you hearing? Is there a possibility that he may not be confirmed?
Senator Booker
Yes, there is. Given, the fact that Mitch McConnell, we don’t know, when he’s gonna return,
April Ryan
Or if he can return.
Senator Booker
Or if he can return, that’s fair. And we are… we are seeing that he need… they need every vote they can get. And so to have Cornyn from Texas say that his jury is still out, basically, he hasn’t decided what he’s gonna do, imperils this nomination. And that’s why we’re holding this Spotlight Forum tomorrow, to bring more evidence to bear, more truth out there, to let people know that this is a dangerous person, dangerous to national security, dangerous to our own privacy, dangerous to the rule of law, and dangerous because he’s willing to do anything. Remember. the re… one of the reasons why Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election failed Well, it’s because his own Attorney General came out and told the truth. When he was tested, he stood with the truth over Trump, with the Constitution over the corruption. And now we are seeing Donald Trump say, never again. I’m gonna make sure that I get somebody in there that does my bidding no matter what. And that should frighten everybody. And so we’re trying to expose as much of that as possible so that any Republican of good conscience Can look at the facts and see that this person would be… is a danger to what our nation stands for and the rule of law.
April Ryan
Do you believe that Epstein, this Epstein issue, is gonna be the albatross around Todd Blanche’s neck, because not only his redactions, his… crazy redactions, for the Epstein Files, meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, but now we’re also hearing, about this letter today, that came out of. the House Judiciary Committee, saying that Epstein never registered as a foreign agent, but evidence shows Epstein acted aggressively on behalf of foreign governments during the first Trump administration. Do you think this is going to be the albatross around this deck? Do you believe that this could actually be the reason why he’s not confirmed, because even Tom Tillis says he’s got to meet with the victims. It seems like everybody’s focused more on this Epstein issue, this alleged pedophilia and exposing the survivors instead of, as you said, dealing with those who are the alleged perpetrators.
Senator Booker
Well, here’s what I know. is this Justice Department has already broken the law when it comes to Epstein. They failed to follow the dictates of the bipartisan law to be transparent and accountable. I believe that everyone responsible has not been brought to justice. Think about this, over a thousand victims and only two people have been convicted for these crimes. So, we know that there is potentially more to investigate and prosecute, but we clearly are seeing a situation where this Justice Department is not acting in accordance with the law for transparency. And not acting in a way that seems that they are zealously pursuing the criminals who sexually abused minors.
April Ryan
You are such an inclusive person, and… the question that I want to lay before you Civil rights has been cut from every department in the Trump administration. Housing, justice, I mean, you name it, anywhere, even in… at the CDC, at Health and Human Services, it’s been cut. What do you believe a Todd Blanche DOJ would be for people who look like you and I, and who look like our brown brothers and sisters who have been profiled, intimidated, even killed over these ICE raids, etc. What does that do? A Todd Blanche Justice Department look like for people who are looking for recourse when we are discriminated against in this anti-woke, anti-DEI society.
Senator Booker
So let’s just be clear on one thing. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. You cannot allow mass discrimination or undermining of rights for any group, any minority, without undercutting conceptions of justice and the kind of America all people experience everywhere. And so there’s not some ideal about Black justice or white justice. When you are persecuting a Justice Department. that is targeting some and not others, that’s rolling back protections for some, that you are actually hurting everyone. And so let me be very specific to your question. This man has… Stop civil rights enforcement. Stopped, the kind of civil rights enforcement in the employment space, in the… in the contracting space, in the terms of voting rights, and more. They are dropping cases, even consent decrees, with, with cities, police… with police departments that have violated African Americans, disproportionately violated African American rights. This is undermining our country, it is not only unfair to Black folks, it is not only hurting them, but it actually causes a lot more pain, distress to our larger economy, and our larger criminal justice system, and the larger series of rights that we had. And so I’m… I’m fighting more than you know, not just because I’m a Black senator, but I know that so much of what we are about as a country is at risk with this Justice Department. when they begin to turn their backs on generational rights that were fought for by our ancestors. And I’m not going to sit silently while they crush our Civil Rights Division and the Department of Justice, while they eliminate the cases that were brought by the previous administrations, and were being investigated and have a history of being investigated by presidents of both parties.
April Ryan
And I wanna, I wanna, end on this, well, two things. One, Nolan Wells. the NAACP Wednesday morning is going to, at the last day of its convention, come out with the preliminary independent autopsy report. The family is going to be there, Ben Crump is going to be there. in a just justice department, what would this look like?
Senator Booker
It wouldn’t fall simply to an independent investigation. We all could have been confident that the Justice Department of the United States of America That our federal government was looking into this as well. And this is what I mean about a travesty of justice, and how it is a cancer within our system, that they have done nothing. They have not investigated, they have not produced any kind of inquiry, they don’t care. And that, to me. is truly yet another reason why a Justice Department led by Todd Blanche leads us into an America, not just with less justice, but with a presence and persistence of injustice as well.
April Ryan
Republicans and Democrats alike are screaming about Todd Blanche. What should America do for their voices to be heard and acted upon?
Senator Booker
Everything you can. Please understand that there’s a lot of Senate races going on, a lot of Republican senators are in tough races from Alaska to Maine. Call them, let them know if they’re your senator, that they… that history is watching, that they can’t allow somebody who has so proven themselves to be unqualified for this position, to be there. Join protests. Find ways in these final months before these midterm elections to be a part of those who are demanding justice, a part of those who are speaking out, a part of those who are fighting for change. I promise you, I’m gonna not just fight, but lead the fight. in the United States Senate. But we know that, ultimately, we didn’t get civil rights. Because senators made it happen. It was always the people that brought about the rights, the people that brought about change, the people that passed some of the fundamental legislation that we needed, from the Civil Rights Act to the Voting Rights Act. That was made possible because people were pushing and fighting. It made the pathway to get things done in the Senate all the more easier. We need you now, we need your voice. There are real consequential things going on, so please step up, step forward, and make sure that we check this president, who right now is cruel. Corrupt and out of control.
April Ryan
And Mary Frances Berry, the former head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, said this is the worst… this is worse than what it was before, because we had freedoms that are being pulled back, and they’re trying to pull them back even more. Sir, is there anything else you would like to add?
Senator Booker
Yeah, I just want to add this, because, you and I have had this conversation privately and publicly. I just want your viewers to know, we need trusted voices in media now more than ever. It is a badge of honor that the president has come at you personally. That shows you who you are and who we’re dealing with. So I just want all your listeners to know, keep watching. Share clips of this show.
April Ryan
Yeah.
Senator Booker
Right now, very powerful people are trying to silence the voices that provide us with real, trusted information, and who stand in the breach during tough times. You are one of those people… And I just want to make sure folk know, don’t take April for granted, you got to support her. And I just found out, you got a book coming out in October.
April Ryan
Yes! Yes! Come on!
Senator Booker
Yes, we need to be supporting each other.
April Ryan
Right.
Senator Booker
We need to be supporting each other. So if you follow me on social media, you can see me lifting up my sister. And by the way, I call you my… I don’t want to be the objective. She asks me tough questions, too.
April Ryan
I do, I ask everybody. Democrats get mad at me just as well as Republicans.
Senator Booker
She never takes it easy on me. You all understand, she holds me to account, but that’s why I trust her voice, because I know she’s one of those people that’s gonna be a righteous pain in the neck sometimes, but she’s gonna get the story for you. So I just want people to know, we can’t take platforms like this for granted. We gotta do small things to support them. Like, subscribe. forward it to some folk. Support the news voices that you trust, because I’m telling you right now, they’re coming after them.
April Ryan
Yeah, and you’re right. We can’t get you in this long-form conversation on those other mainstream spaces.
Senator Booker
Yeah.
April Ryan
And that’s… as the kids say, or the kids do, what is… that thing, yeah, that part.
Senator Booker
Yes.
April Ryan
Sir, thank you so much for always showing up and showing up. We are going to follow the hearing that you have, and just keep us in the loop, because as you said, something so key and poignant, that there is a chance he may not… Todd Blanche may not be confirmed, because people are speaking up.
Senator Booker
Amen.
April Ryan
Thank you, sir. Again, everyone, thank you for joining this special edition of the tea, with… none other than U.S. Senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker, who’s having a special hearing on Todd Blanche to bring more attention to the injustice of Todd Blanche in the Justice Department, if you will. Thank you, take care.
Senator Booker
Thank you. Take care now.
April Ryan
Thank you, sir. Thank you, I appreciate you. Be well. Let us keep letting us know, okay?
Senator Booker
Yes, absolutely.
April Ryan
Yes, be well. Bye-bye.
