Todd Blanche accuses Adam Schiff of lying about DOJ recusal rules
Blanche denied Schiff’s allegations and disputed his account of ethics rules and the report’s nonrelease.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYFox News is an established national outlet with attributed reporting and a named author, though its political coverage can reflect a discernible partisan perspective. The article presents direct quotations from both principal participants but offers limited independent verification of their competing claims.
- Source type — Established national news organization, with partisan tendencies in political coverage.
- Editorial standards — The article uses attributed statements and direct quotations, but does limited independent fact-checking of the dispute.
- Author attribution — A named reporter is credited.
The article gives direct quotations and describes both sides of the hearing exchange, but relies heavily on the participants’ assertions and quotes supporting Blanche from two other commentators. It provides little independent evidence to resolve the disputed claims.
HOW WE SCORE ↗Both Schiff and Blanche are quoted at length as they dispute the recusal and report-release issues. However, the article also includes favorable reactions to Blanche and criticism of Schiff without a comparable independent perspective or resolution of the disputed facts.
- Counterarguments presented — Both central participants state their positions in the hearing exchange.
- Source diversity — Two outside commentators are quoted, but both reactions favor Blanche or criticize Schiff.
- Omitted context — The competing claims about ethics rules and the report’s release are not independently resolved.
The report gives extensive space to the dispute but its headline and framing emphasize Blanche’s charge that Schiff is lying. It also includes outside criticism of Schiff and praise for Blanche’s performance without comparable outside support for Schiff.
- Source selection — Outside reactions in the article criticize Schiff or praise Blanche, with no equivalent outside reaction supporting Schiff.
- Headline — The headline foregrounds Blanche accusing Schiff of lying.
- Framing — The account highlights Blanche’s rebuttals and his charge that Schiff misstated facts.
At a hearing, Sen. Adam Schiff challenged Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over alleged conflicts and recusal decisions in cases involving Donald Trump. Blanche denied wrongdoing, disputed Schiff’s account and accused him of misstating the facts.
Schiff questioned Blanche about his prior representation of Trump and whether Blanche had consulted Justice Department ethics lawyers. Blanche said he had recused himself from future department business involving those cases. Schiff also challenged Blanche over the dismissal of Jan. 6-related convictions and the unreleased second volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report; Blanche denied responsibility for the report’s nonrelease and said a federal judge had barred its release.
Schiff criticized Blanche’s actions and said he had abandoned principles he once held as a prosecutor. Blanche said he remained the same person. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli criticized Schiff’s grasp of facts, while former Alabama federal prosecutor Jay Town praised the exchange.
Community verdict
17 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Acting attorney general defending his recusal decisions
Senator questioning the acting attorney general
Schiff's version of this story ↗President whose cases are discussed
Part of a bigger story
13 OUTLETSOutlets agree that attorney general nominee Todd Blanche testified at his Senate confirmation hearing, fielding questions regarding meetings with Jeffrey Epstein survivors and a disputed $1.8 billion settlement fund that Blanche said is not moving forward. Left-leaning outlets, including The Daily Beast, focus on criticism challenging Blanche's fitness and the settlement fund's enforceability. Center outlets, such as Politico, emphasize how undecided Republican senators leave Blanche's confirmation prospects uncertain. Right-leaning outlets, including Fox News, highlight Blanche confronting Senator Adam Schiff over ethics and recusal rules.
- ARTICLES
- 16
- OUTLETS
- 13
- AVG CRED
- 64
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