Blanche says DOJ has no criminal probes into lawmakers' words
Where it stands
Trump renewed his demand to prosecute six Democratic lawmakers, but Attorney General Todd Blanche said later November 12 that DOJ had no ongoing criminal investigations into lawmakers' words and that the criminal threshold he described had not been crossed. A federal grand jury had already declined the administration's earlier indictment request. No charge, court ruling or public DOJ announcement of a new investigation was identified in the sources reviewed through 10:57 a.m. EST November 13.
Sources reviewed: Nov 13, 2026 · 10:57 AM EST
President Donald Trump asked November 12 whether six Democratic lawmakers would be prosecuted over their 2025 video telling military and intelligence personnel not to obey unlawful orders. Later that day, Attorney General Todd Blanche said there were no ongoing criminal investigations into words spoken by senators or members of Congress and said he had not claimed anyone had crossed the line from protected criticism to a criminal threat.
NBC News reported that a Washington federal grand jury unanimously rejected the administration's earlier attempt to indict the six lawmakers. Trump's post is a renewed demand and allegation, not a charge, DOJ disposition or court ruling.
Blanche's statement is DOJ's current public posture on lawmakers' words; it does not erase the earlier grand-jury rejection or independently resolve the separate records warning U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz sent Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
The response.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, one of the six lawmakers, said November 12 that the video restated the law and accused Trump of trying to prosecute critics. She challenged the president and attorney general to proceed. Her characterization is a political and legal response, not a finding. Slotkin's office said Trump had again called for trials and prosecutions; NBC News quoted Trump's post asking whether the 'Seditious Six' would ever be prosecuted. Blanche said free speech is protected and that criticism can become a criminal threat, but said he had not claimed that point had been reached. Separately, Garcia said Congress is a coequal branch and would continue its oversight, while Blumenthal said he would not be intimidated by Reitz's records demand. The Ledger found no public DOJ transcript of Blanche's November 12 news conference and no public case filing announcing a new investigation, so Blanche's remarks and the grand-jury disposition are attributed to NBC News and corroborated by CBS and AP reporting. The Ledger reviewed Slotkin's statement directly. No public copy of Reitz's November 11 letter or directly accessible copy of Scharf's three-page letter was located; their contents remain attributed to AP and Reuters.
Dates & scope
Source publication: Nov 7, 2026 · 1:13 PM EST · Source update: 2026-11-13
Event or conduct: 2026-11-07.
Full chronology and review notes
Trump's Truth Social post was published at 12:45 p.m. EST November 7. Reuters first reported the directive at 1:13 p.m. EST that day. Attorney General Todd Blanche responded in a CNN interview aired November 8. White House counsel Will Scharf's letter to Robert Garcia is dated November 9; AP and Reuters reported it November 11. AP's article later added its account of Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz's November 11 letter to Richard Blumenthal. Trump posted again on the morning of November 12, asking whether six lawmakers would be prosecuted over their 2025 video. Blanche spoke later November 12 at a DOJ news conference. NBC News published its report at 6:08 p.m. EST, and Slotkin's office published her response November 12. The Ledger reviewed the current reporting and primary statements at 10:57 a.m. EST November 13. The presidential posts, interviews, letters, news publications and Ledger reviews occurred at different times.
This is a dated report. The source-review time records when the linked sources were checked; it is not a live update.
Coverage is non-exhaustive. Our source-review standards →
Open the original record.
- Donald J. Trump, Truth Social: November 7 post directing DOJ to look into Democrats ↗
Primary presidential statement, reviewed in the original page's public metadata. It establishes what Trump directed and alleged, not the truth of the allegations or whether DOJ acted.
- Reuters: Trump orders DOJ to look into Democrats for 'threatening' people ↗
November 7 wire reporting on the directive, the lack of evidence in the post, congressional records requests, Slotkin's same-day response and no immediate DOJ response.
- The Washington Post: Trump calls for Justice Department to investigate Democrats ↗
Separate November 7 reporting on the directive, Democrats' planned oversight, Blanche's remarks the previous day and the absence of immediate DOJ comment.
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Democratic staff: Incoming Oversight Chairman Robert Garcia Statement After Democrats Secure Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives ↗
Primary November 3 statement outlining oversight priorities, not a finding on the subjects Garcia said he would investigate.
- Office of Sen. Elissa Slotkin: Slotkin Responds to Attacks from President Trump and Right Wing Figures Regarding Her Comments on Corruption ↗
Primary October 19 statement explaining the purpose of Slotkin's earlier University of Chicago comments; separate from her November 7 response reported by Reuters.
- ABC News: Blanche says 'there could be' investigations of Democrats pushing oversight probes ↗
Published November 8 at 11:00 a.m. EST; reports Blanche's same-day CNN interview, including his conditional answer, acknowledgment of free speech and Congress's oversight role, and the absence of evidence establishing criminal threats.
- Axios: Blanche won't rule out prosecuting Democrats over oversight threats ↗
Separate November 8 report on Blanche's interview and Robert Garcia's response; states that it remains unclear whether DOJ opened an investigation, who might be examined or what conduct DOJ considers potentially criminal.
- White House Counsel via Punchbowl News: Letter from White House counsel Will Scharf to Rep. Robert Garcia ↗
Three-page primary letter dated November 9 and publicly reported November 11. The PDF was inaccessible to the Ledger during this review, so its contents are attributed to Reuters and AP rather than independently quoted from the document.
- Reuters: White House tells Democrats that investigating Trump administration could be criminal ↗
Published November 11 at 4:08 p.m. EST; reports and quotes the November 9 letter, Garcia's same-day response and the link to Trump's earlier directive.
- Associated Press: White House confronts Democrats over planned probes, claiming possible 'criminality' ↗
First published November 11 at 9:53 a.m. EST and later updated; reports Scharf's letter, Garcia's response, Comer's comments, Blanche's statement that Congress retains oversight authority, and Reitz's same-day records-preservation demand to Blumenthal.
- Office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal: Blumenthal Presses Secret White House Ballroom Donors After New Details Emerge About $330 Million Fundraising Campaign ↗
Primary October 21 statement and donor letter asking recipients to preserve and produce records. The requests and Blumenthal's characterizations are not findings of wrongdoing.
- Office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal: Blumenthal Sends Warning to Targets of Investigations Into Crypto, Corruption, Immigration Abuses, Big Tech, and More ↗
Primary November 5 notice describing outstanding inquiries and warning that noncompliance by January 4 could lead the subcommittee to consider other measures.
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Democratic staff: Ranking Member Robert Garcia Statement on New White House Counsel Threats ↗
Primary November 11 response page. The page was inaccessible to the Ledger during this review, so Garcia's response is attributed to Reuters and AP.
- NBC News via AOL: DOJ has no 'investigations into words' of Democrats, Todd Blanche says ↗
Published November 12 at 6:08 p.m. EST; reports Blanche's same-day remarks, Trump's morning post, the earlier unanimous grand-jury rejection and Slotkin's response. The Ledger could not retrieve a DOJ transcript, so the quoted news-conference remarks and grand-jury disposition are attributed to this report.
- Office of Sen. Elissa Slotkin: Slotkin Statement After Trump Again Called for Her to be Prosecuted Over 90-Second Video ↗
Primary November 12 response documenting Slotkin's position and her account of the renewed prosecution demand. Her legal and political characterizations are advocacy, not findings.
- Associated Press: Trump's Justice Department faces a new era of scrutiny under a Democratic-led Congress ↗
Published November 13; independent same-day context reporting that Blanche said there were no open investigations into Democrats' rhetoric and acknowledged that warning of investigations is not a crime, while describing the unresolved Reitz letter and current DOJ posture.
Keep following this record
The Pardon Ledger is a free email digest: new clemency grants and money entries, each with its sources, the response on record, and what changed.
Read a sample: Whose names are on the filings ↗