Last week, Attorney General Todd Blanche gave a partisan speech at the Republican National Convention. On the same stage, President Trump promised voters a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if Republicans win, led a pledge of personal loyalty, and urged the crowd to “cheat like hell.”
My name is Joseph Tirrell. Until I was fired in July 2025, I was DOJ’s senior ethics attorney, advising its leadership and overseeing the Justice Department’s ethics program. I spent more than two decades in federal service. Since my firing, I have spoken publicly about the dismantling of DOJ’s ethics safeguards because my oath to support and defend the Constitution does not end when leadership finds my service inconvenient.
As Director of DOJ’s Departmental Ethics Office, I advised officials on the Hatch Act, federal ethics standards, and the boundary between public service and partisan politics. Blanche’s speech raises serious questions about whether he crossed it.
A Disclaimer Does Not Make Official Power Personal
The Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326, prohibits federal employees using official authority or influence to affect an election outcome or from appearing at partisan political events in an official capacity.
Blanche says he spoke “in a personal capacity.” That is not the end of the analysis. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has repeatedly made clear that a disclaimer cannot erase the use of official authority, information, or achievements for partisan purposes (for example, in 2018, 2024, and 2025). Blanche cited arrests, border statistics, fentanyl seizures, homicide trends, fraud cases, and migrant child recoveries—then credited President Trump and Vice President Vance before a Republican convention. He used federal law enforcement data to make a partisan case.
The real question is simple: Would a reasonable person understand Blanche to be speaking as a private citizen or as the Attorney General of the United States? Answering this question may require little more than looking at how C-SPAN identified Mr. Blanch during the broadcast. Just see the photo accompanying this post. After reviewing all the facts and in my expert judgment, an investigation, at the very least, is warranted.
The Appearance Problem Is the Problem
The Standards of Ethical Conduct, 5 C.F.R. § 2635.101(b), require federal officials to avoid actions that create even the appearance of violating the law or ethical standards.
The question is not merely whether Blanche crossed a technical line. It is whether his appearance made federal law enforcement look like an arm of a partisan campaign. Even if he intended to speak privately, the public saw the Attorney General standing on that stage discussing federal law enforcement. That appearance alone demands independent review.
These principles are enforceable standards, not aspirational. OSC should investigate the Hatch Act question, and the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and DOJ’s Inspector General should review whether federal ethics standards were breached.
DOJ’s Power Depends on Public Trust
DOJ can investigate you, prosecute you, search your home, subpoena your records, and bring the full force of the federal government against you. That power is legitimate only when the public believes it is exercised impartially.
The Justice Department does not belong to a President. It does not belong to a political party. It belongs to the American people.
DOJ once had stronger guardrails for this reason. For more than 20 years, it subjected political appointees to stricter limits on partisan activity because its credibility depends on distance from politics. I warned that rescinding the policy would invite partisan entanglement, but in March 2026, they did it anyway. Repealing these internal safeguards does not repeal the Hatch Act, it makes independent review more critical.
The concern is heightened by Blanche’s own statements and background. Before joining DOJ, he served as Donald Trump’s personal attorney. Even after joining DOJ, he has said he is the President’s personal lawyer. When the Attorney General identifies himself personally with the President and appears at a political convention where the President urges cheating, the appearance problem is obvious.
Trust Takes Decades to Build—and Minutes to Lose
When I spoke publicly after being fired, I said my public service was not over. This is what I meant. Ethics work protects institutions, anticipates how official conduct will be understood, and preserves confidence that government power serves public, not partisan, purposes.
Consider what Blanche’s appearance at the convention says to a career prosecutor asked to follow the rules, an FBI agent whose work depends on public credibility, and a citizen left wondering whether justice now turns on political loyalty.
DOJ’s credibility is one of its most valuable assets. Blanche’s speech lasted only minutes, but the consequences for public trust could last much longer.
Do Not Look Away
The independence of the Department of Justice cannot be preserved by internal guardrails alone. It depends on an informed and engaged public.
That is why I am speaking out—and why readers should not look away. When officials blur the line between law enforcement and partisan politics, call it what it is. Call for accountability from leaders of both parties. Insist that the nation’s chief law enforcement officer serve the public, not a political agenda. And demand that OSC and the Inspector General investigate credible evidence that the line was crossed.
Joseph Tirrell is the former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Departmental Ethics Office, where he served as DOJ’s senior ethics attorney. A former FBI compliance and ethics attorney and U.S. Navy officer, he writes and speaks about government ethics, institutional integrity, and the importance of an independent Justice Department. He currently serves as Lead Senior Counsel at the American Bar Association’s Center for Professional Responsibility. The views expressed are his own.
Do you need to ask, of course it's a violation! Now just take action, not just give us lip service.....
Of course!