Liz Oyer, a former pardon attorney, sharply criticized Todd Blanche during his confirmation hearing for attorney general. Blanche is Donald Trump's nominee for the post.
Oyer testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Blanche fired her because she refused to support a political favor.
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The favor involved restoring gun rights to actor Mel Gibson, who has a domestic violence conviction.
Blanche's Testimony
During the hearing on Wednesday, Blanche claimed Oyer's recommendation against Gibson's gun rights was not the reason for her termination.
He said her decisions were "completely inconsistent with President Trump's authority."
Oyer rejected that explanation, calling it "provably false."
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She stated, "I declined to rubber-stamp a political favor for a friend of the president, and it cost me my job."
She urged the committee to consider the implications of confirming Blanche. Oyer warned that promoting him could further damage the justice system.
"To the American public, it looks like Mr. Blanche is running the DoJ as Donald Trump's personal law firm," she said.
Oyer also accused Blanche of using law enforcement powers for personal vendettas.
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"These pointless vendettas are wasting our scarce resources and destroying DoJ's credibility," she added, as reported by The Guardian.
