Oyer says documents contradict Blanche’s account of firing
Liz Oyer, who served as the U.S. pardon attorney under the Biden administration, testified Thursday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche fired her after she refused to recommend restoring the firearm rights of actor Mel Gibson, a Trump ally who was previously convicted of domestic violence. Oyer’s testimony came on the second day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I declined to rubber-stamp a political favor for a friend of the president, and it cost me my job,” Oyer told the committee.
During his Wednesday testimony, Blanche said Oyer’s termination was not about the Gibson case. He said her decisions 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.”
On Thursday, Oyer pushed back directly. “His claim that it had nothing to do with the concerns I raised is contradicted by documents and evidence,” she said.
She urged senators to vote against confirming Blanche as permanent attorney general, warning that his leadership is harming the department’s credibility.
“To the American public, it looks like Mr. Blanche is running the DOJ as Donald Trump’s personal law firm,” Oyer 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 the DOJ’s credibility.”