Acting AG Blanche on Pirro's Job: 'That's His Call'

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to guarantee U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro's position, stating that President Trump has the authority to remove any member of his administration.

"If President Trump wanted to fire anybody within his administration, he understands he has the power to do that," Blanche said Wednesday when asked about the situation. "So when he makes a decision about whether to fire a US attorney or anybody else, that's his call."

Trump had expressed anger on Monday after learning that Pirro's office dropped charges against seven individuals arrested in June for vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The President told reporters that Pirro "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" in the matter. Pirro met with Trump at the White House that evening to explain the decision, and sources indicated she retained her job.

Blanche, however, insisted that Pirro was performing a "phenomenal job."

Trump himself stated Tuesday evening that he had "not made a determination" regarding Pirro's employment, but confirmed he had told her "I was not happy."

He asserted that the damage to the reflecting pool was deliberate, though his account of the evidence varied. "We have a witness or two witnesses that saw the vandalism, so certainly there was vandalism," Trump said. "In my opinion, it was major vandalism."

The reflecting pool underwent a $16 million overhaul, part of a broader initiative to beautify Washington D.C. before America's 250th anniversary. Shortly after the refurbishment was completed, sections of the new liner detached, leading to widespread mockery. Trump blamed vandals for the damage, and police arrested seven people found near the site.

Government lawyers acknowledged in a 20-page filing released Friday that the damage was likely the result of a botched installation. This new information prompted Pirro's office to drop the charges.

The court filing concluded, "Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt."

Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal lawyer, is currently serving in an acting capacity. His nomination for Attorney General advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, with a final vote anticipated soon.