Trump's "Project Freedom" — the U.S. Navy
will escort neutral-country ships through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday
— and how the President is wielding America's energy abundance to dismantle
London's petrodollar system and the propaganda apparatus built to defend it.
President Trump announces “Project Freedom,”
directing the U.S. Navy to escort neutral-country ships through the Strait of
Hormuz starting Monday and warning that interference will be attacked, while
noting positive U.S.-Iran discussions and framing the move as a test of whether
Iran’s negotiators control the IRGC. The episode argues Trump is using oil and
gas to rebuild the U.S. economy and to displace London’s oil-pricing power,
citing April 20 Presidential Determinations under the Defense Production Act, a
National Energy Dominance Council led by Doug Burgum and Chris Wright, and
rising U.S. production (EIA March 2026: ~24 million bpd) driving lower prices,
a manufacturing revival, and a shrinking trade deficit. It contrasts this with
post-1971 “petrodollar” strategy, OPEC shocks, “controlled disintegration,” and
Iran-related destabilization, and claims modern media propaganda—from Lippmann
to Operation Mockingbird to recent censorship networks—drives anti-Trump
narratives.
Dr. David Morens was Anthony Fauci’s long-trusted
assistant at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of
many subdivisions of the National Institutes of Health.
Morens, now 78 years old, has been indicted
by the Department of Justice “with conspiracy against the United States; destruction,
alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment,
removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.”
The whole scheme seemed like a winner too. But
there was a serious problem. The shot failed to work and caused more harm than
any shot called a vaccine in modern history. The sheer social carnage of the
lockdowns was astronomical once you consider inflation, broken supply chains,
bankrupted businesses, learning loss, and civic disruptions and displacements.
Indeed, the population has been in a slow-burn revolt against everything and
everyone since those days.
Greg Folkers was critical to the censorship
operation at the heart of the Covid response. As Chief of Staff at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Folkers oversaw
operations for the agency’s $6 billion budget and later sought to evade FOIA
requests by conspiring with Dr. Morens and intentionally misspelling key
phrases such as “g#in-of-function.”
Morens then coached his colleagues on how to
avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests (in defiance of federal law)
by misspelling key phrases, using code words, deleting emails, and sending
sensitive information to non-government accounts. “I learned from our foia lady
here how to make emails disappear after i am foia’d but before the search
starts, so i think we are all safe,” he wrote in February 2021.
This is the crime that led to Tuesday’s charges
against Dr. Morens, which include “conspiracy against the United States;
destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations;
concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.” FBI
Director Kash Patel spoke
out against the “illegal obfuscation of…communications” and vowed that “if
you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not
stop until you face justice.”
David Morens, a former top advisor to
Covid Czar Tony Fauci, was indicted on Monday and “charged with conspiracy
against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records
in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and
aiding and abetting,” according to the Justice Department press
release.
For
too long, deceiving the American people has been treated like a victimless
crime in Washington. Will the Covid coverup indictment set a precedent that
will be a booster shot for American democracy? Hundreds of political appointees
and tens of thousands of federal employees should no longer be “safe from
FOIA.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo to
discuss current geopolitical events and the ramifications for the U.S.
economy. It is a rather lengthy interview and discussion that touches on
numerous key points.
Bessent notes the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Chairman Xi
of China is still on schedule and U.S. Operation Financial Fury against Iran is
yielding good results. I had no idea the U.S. government has made $30 to
$40 billion from the Intel backstop. WATCH:
ONE WEEK WARNING: Bessent predicts Iran
could be forced to shut down oil wells
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on NBC News to discuss the
legal framework for the Iran conflict and push back against the media’s defense
of James Comey.
Acting AG Blanche says it's ‘completely
wrong’ to say Trump violating war powers law: Full interview
[Transcript] – KRISTEN WELKER: And joining me now
is acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Mr. Blanche, welcome back to Meet the
Press.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Good morning.
KRISTEN WELKER: Good morning. Thank you for being here in person.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Of course.
KRISTEN WELKER: We really appreciate it. Let’s start right there with the
war. As you know, the War Powers Act requires Congress to authorize military
action beyond 60 days, which the U.S. passed on Friday. The president did send
a letter to Congress, just to recap, saying that hostilities have been
terminated, given the ceasefire that was put in place on April 7th. And yet,
the U.S. is actively engaged in a naval blockade of Iranian ports as part of
this conflict. Is the United States at war with Iran?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: No. I mean, what President Trump said
this weekend is absolutely true. My job as the acting attorney general is to
make sure that the president, that we all are doing the right thing legally.
And we absolutely are. As we said to Congress last week, there has been nothing
going on, no hostilities, no exchange of fire since – in almost a month, in
almost a month. And how do you end a conflict? How do you end this? You have a
ceasefire. And that’s exactly what we have, and Congress knows that and the
leadership knows that. And there’s a lot of drama. I’m sure that Senator Schiff
will come on here and say something different. This has been done repeatedly
for many, many years, with many, many presidents. And there’s nothing
inconsistent about what we’re doing and what’s been done in the past.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, you say that you’re not actively at war. Here is what President Trump
had to say on Friday. I want to play it for you, get your reaction on the other
side.
[BEGIN TAPE]
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
But they don’t like the word war. And they call it a “military operation,”
because that way, you don’t have a war, you don’t have legal problems.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
Is the president effectively arguing that he can avoid congressional
approval by avoiding using the word “war?”
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
He’s not effectively arguing anything except that he is trying to keep this
country safe. We have kept Congress updated at every step of the way,
consistent with what other presidents have done. President Trump is doing
something that the past five presidents did not do. They promised to do it,
they promised, “Oh, we’ll stop Iran.” “Oh, Iran can never have a nuclear
weapon.” President Trump is doing what others have promised but failed to do. And
as far as what we’re doing with Congress, keeping them updated, we are doing
so.
KRISTEN WELKER:
As you know, Democrats and even some Republicans say that the ceasefire’s
not enough to override this 60-day benchmark. Republican Senator Susan Collins
posted, quote, “The President’s authority as Commander-in-Chief is not without
limits. That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.” Are there any
legal limits on the president’s powers to carry out the war with Iran?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
We – suggesting that President Trump or this administration or the
Department of War is violating the law is just completely wrong. It’s not
appropriate to say that. We are not – we are complying with the law. I can tell
you that as the acting attorney general. We are doing exactly what we’re
supposed to do legally and President Trump will continue to do that.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But are there any, to this point, do you see any limits on how he has to
carry out this war?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Of course. Yes, of course there’s limits to what President Trump can do and
he’s never said there aren’t limits. He’s acting within his duty to the
American people to keep us safe. What – he’s not engaged in a popularity contest
when it comes to what we’re doing in Iran. He is doing something that will save
us for generations. And so he is doing something, again, that every president
since Reagan has said that we should do and he’s the only one willing to do it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
The President Trump said that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional. Do you
agree with that?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
We – I’m not talking about the constitutionality of the War Powers Act as it
doesn’t do anything. I will tell you that the Department of Justice advises the
president, advises the Department of War, and we are acting completely within
the law with what we’re doing.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. Let’s move on to former FBI Director James Comey. A grand jury
has indicted the former FBI director. For this Instagram post, I want to put it
up, I think a lot of folks have seen it at this point, “86 47” in seashells,
which the indictment says, quote, “A reasonable recipient who is familiar with
the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do
harm to the President of the United States.” How does that image of seashells
amount to a serious threat against the president’s life?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, every case requires an investigation. And what you just showed is one
part of that investigation. What you just showed is the Instagram post. Rest
assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in North Carolina,
the career FBI agents, the career secret service agents that investigated this
case didn’t just look at the Instagram post and walk away. That’s why you saw
an indictment last week, notwithstanding the fact that it was last May that the
post was made. So I am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand
jury heard or found, as you know. But rest assured that it’s not just the
Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, part of what the government would have to prove is intent. James Comey
deleted the post the same day. And he wrote, quote, “I didn’t realize some
folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me. But I
oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.” How do you prove intent,
Mr. Blanche, when Mr. Comey himself said he didn’t understand that some people
would look at that and think about violence?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
You prove intent like you always prove intent. You prove intent with
witnesses, you prove intent with documents, with materials. So again, this is
not just about a single Instagram post. This is about a body of evidence that
the grand jury collected over the series of about 11 months. That evidence was
presented to the grand jury. And it’s not the government. It’s not the
Department of Justice. It’s not Todd Blanche that returned an indictment
against James Comey. It’s the grand jury, part of the judicial process, and
that this process has to be allowed to play out in the courts. It’s not fair to
Mr. Comey, it’s certainly not fair to the prosecutors for us to be airing your view
or my view of this indictment. It’s something that will be presented in court
at the time set by the judge.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s dive a little deeper. Conservative legal scholar Jonathan Turley said,
quote, “This indictment is facially unconstitutional, absent some unknown new
facts.” Are there, are you in fact, saying that there are facts beyond this
Instagram post that clearly establish an intent to threaten the president’s
life?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
I’ve said repeatedly this was an investigation that lasted 11 months. If the
only facts that existed was the posting of the Instagram, obviously that
wouldn’t have taken 11 months. And so when Mr. Turley talks about whether it’s
facially unconstitutional absent unknown facts or circumstances, we will
necessarily have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, at trial, every element of
this crime, which we’re prepared to do.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Can you and will you let the public know what any of those other facts are?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Absolutely. It’s called a trial. That’s what happens with every single case.
We indict thousands of cases every year. Every one of those cases, there’s an
indictment and then eventually there is a trial or some sort of disposition. At
the trial, a public trial, that will be open to the public. Everybody in this
country will know exactly what evidence the government has against Mr. Comey.
KRISTEN WELKER:
I know you can’t give me specifics, but can you give me any insight? Are you
talking about writings, are you talking about conversations? What does this
other evidence consist of?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
We are talking about evidence of all sorts. And that means documents, that
means witnesses and that means, that means the whole array of what we did. And
again, we are not talking about some political guy in D.C. running out and
getting an indictment. We are talking about career prosecutors in North
Carolina systematically investigating a case with the FBI working with them,
with the secret service working with them. And now we have an indictment.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, the image, excuse me, is part of what led to this indictment.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Yes.
KRISTEN WELKER:
It is worth noting that on Amazon.com, we looked this up, there are dozens
of products with the same terminology, we’re showing it right here, “86 47”
being sold and purchased right now. Should individuals selling or buying “86
47” merchandise be concerned that they’re going to be prosecuted by the DOJ?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
This isn’t – this isn’t about a single incident, okay? I mean, of course
not. That’s posted constantly. That phrase is used constantly. There are
constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against
President Trump. Every one of those statements do not result in indictments, of
course. There are facts, there are circumstances, there are investigations that
have to take place. And we have charged dozens and dozens of men and women this
year with threatening President Trump and others. So this isn’t a new charge
we’re bringing.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Just to be very clear, you are suggesting the seashells themselves are not
at the root of this indictment?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
No, I am suggesting that every single case depends on the investigation
that’s done. And of course, the seashells are part of that case. I mean, that’s
what the public sees. But without a doubt, and it should be evident by the fact
that it’s been 11 months since the posting and the indictment, there is an
investigation that takes place. And that’s the result. The result of that
investigation is the indictment that was returned last week.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s talk big picture. Back on September 20th, President Trump publicly
posted a private message to then Attorney General Pam Bondi pressuring her to
prosecute Senator Adam Schiff, James Comey and Letitia James, writing, quote,
“They’re all guilty as hell. But nothing is going to be done. They impeached me
twice, they indicted me five times over nothing. Justice must be served now.”
Why should the public believe that any case brought against the individuals
listed there is an independent law enforcement decision and not retribution?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, because you have investigations and you have indictments and you have
the result. I mean, listen, if years later you’re judged by a simple note from
President Trump. By the way, that wasn’t a private message. That was a message delivered
to the entire world.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Right.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
And so this is not being done behind closed doors.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But it was meant to be private initially based on my conversations.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
How do you know it was meant to be private?
KRISTEN WELKER:
Based on my conversations, it was meant to be —
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, I’m not aware of those conversations —
KRISTEN WELKER:
With top administration officials, it was meant to be private —
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
But President Trump —
KRISTEN WELKER:
— and posted by mistake.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
President Trump is very clear with the American people what he expects as
president of the United States. That is not something he hides from the
American people. He wants justice, he wants full investigations where
appropriate. And by the way, that’s a good thing. That’s not a bad thing.
Everybody in this country should want that. And so no, I don’t operate based
upon concern or fear. The American people will know exactly what we’re doing
and why we’re doing it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And yet, Mr. Acting Attorney General, the Justice Department has already
indicted former FBI Director James Comey, as you know, and New York Attorney
General Letitia James. And a federal judge dismissed both of those cases. Why
should people have confidence that this case will actually move forward and is
rooted in fact?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, let’s be accurate, okay? The judge dismissed those cases not based on
a factual finding that President Trump did something wrong or that there was
something wrong with the underlying facts leading to that indictment. The federal
judge dismissed that case because he found that the U.S. attorney was not
properly appointed. That’s not a – there was no final finding on the facts or
anything like that. So look, those cases are on appeal. We will see what
happens. But again, you’re comparing apples to oranges when you say, “Just
because that indictment was dismissed, there’s something wrong with the
underlying investigation.”
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, again, he did directly push to have those people indicted. Charges
were brought. And then they were dropped. Does that not undercut, potentially,
the trust that people have in the Justice Department?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Absolutely not. And by the way, do you think, or do the American people
think that nothing was done on those cases until President Trump posted that
truth in September? No, these are ongoing investigations. Investigations take
time, investigations take effort. And so no, I don’t – I am not concerned. What
we do, what we do at the Department of Justice, the American people can judge
us. And they will. And I’m ready to be judged because we’re doing the right
thing. We’re restoring justice, which nobody saw for four years. There weren’t
guests on your show for four years during the last administration being overly
critical of what the Department of Justice was doing, and that was a problem,
and we fixed it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
I want to turn now to the shooting at the White House Correspondent’s
Dinner. Since we last spoke, it has been deemed an assassination attempt against
President Trump. We are all so thankful he is okay and everyone at that dinner,
including yourself is okay. His lawyers say that the suspect in this case is
now on a suicide watch. Are there any new updates you can share on the
investigation or new charges that the suspect might be facing?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Well, look. The investigation is ongoing. And it happened just over a week
ago. And I expect that the U.S. Attorney Pirro, that she and her team are
continuing to work on understanding why this man allegedly did what he did. Any
other information that they can learn from the devices and from the search
warrants that were executed. I don’t have an update to provide you beyond the
fact that we are working hard. I expect in the next week or so, there will be
more information coming out. Obviously, assuming the investigation moves
forward, there will be an indictment forthcoming and all that is typical of
what happens.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You say more information, more charges potentially too?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Potentially. I mean, look, I think that’s what happens, right? There’s
initial charges and there’s an investigation and to the extent that the
government learns more things, I assure you they will become charges.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. Let’s turn to the Supreme Court’s decision to remove a major
pillar of the Voting Rights Act which protected minority voters. In his
majority decision, Justice Alito argued this, quote, “The nation had made,”
quote, “great strides in ending entrenched racial discrimination.” Do you
believe that minority voters are represented equally in this country?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
Yes. There is no doubt that the Supreme Court got this decision right. It’s
the position of the Department of Justice, it’s the position of this
administration. We argued the case. And so yes, there is also no doubt that the
existing system was not consistent with our Constitution. And that’s what the
Supreme Court found and there’s going to be a lot of criticism I expect even in
the coming moments on this show about that decision. But the reality is what
people cannot say is that the provision that was struck down by the Supreme
Court is consistent with our Constitution. And that’s the Supreme Court’s job
is to interpret the Constitution.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But voters see this country differently. According to the latest Gallup
poll, 83% of Black Americans and 61% of white Americans believe that racism is
widespread. Does that challenge the idea that there is racial equality?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
The Supreme Court doesn’t make decisions based upon a Gallup poll. The
Supreme Court is not allowed to make decisions because there’s some poll that
says some percentage of Americans feel one way or another. They interpret the
Constitution and keeping our elections fair, keeping our elections exactly what
they’re supposed to be, consistent with the Constitution, is what President
Trump has been fighting for for ten years. And so this was a great win for the
American people.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But the root of the Voting Rights Act was to make sure that people were
treated equally, that they had equal rights when it came to voting and
representation. Does it not weaken that ultimate goal?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
It – the fact that we’re talking about this when Democrats in Congress, for
example, refuse to support basic structures to guarantee free and fair
elections is laughable. I mean, the fact that we are talking about this
decision from the Supreme Court, which is just a constitutional decision, when
what we should be talking about is that there’s a lot of things that we can be
doing, like voter ID. Like every time you walk into a restaurant or a club, you
have to show your ID, how about you have to show your ID to vote? That’s not –
that’s not anything that’s crazy. And that’s what we should be talking about.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Certainly one of the votes on Capitol Hill right now. Quickly before I let
you go, the position of attorney general remains open. You still have an
“acting” in front of your title. Are you hoping to drop that “acting” title and
become the attorney general?
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE:
I am happy to do my job. No matter – President Trump can ask me to do
whatever he chooses and I’ll be happy to do my job. We, the Department of
Justice, all of our employees are working hard every day to restore justice,
and we will continue to do that. I love my job no matter what it is.
