Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Richard Blumenthal

Democrat on Nomination of Todd Blanche (Executive Calendar) 2026-08-05

703 words · 29 sentences · 55 clauses

Statement grade

B–

Average 70 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 6%Claims 47%Positioning 13%Reasoning 14%Anecdote 15%The ask 5%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Procedure · 5 wordsI begin with a quote: ProcedureClaims · 37 words``I am his lawyer.’’ ``I am his lawyer’’ is what Todd Blanche said in the course of his confirmation hearing for the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate.¹ “I’m his lawyer,’’ meaning, I am Donald Trump’s lawyer. Positioning · 30 wordsNow, admittedly, he had no intention of saying it that way. He had no intention of allowing that revelation to slip, but it was a glaring illustration of his mindset.PositioningLogical leap Claims · 40 wordsHe was, he is now, and he will be Donald Trump’s lawyer, his personal lawyer, as he was during the criminal and civil trials--a trusted, loyal consigliere.Logical leap He is not an independent lawyer with a law firm; he is in-house. Positioning · 11 wordsHe is literally kept by the President on his personal leash.Positioning Procedure · 7 wordsYou may think I am overstating it, ProcedureReasoning · 9 wordsbut, in fact, he demonstrated it throughout that hearing, Unearned certaintyPositioning · 28 wordsand the through line was he will be guided by blind loyalty to the President and contempt for the law, enabling the President in continued corrupt crypto schemes, PositioningLogical leapClaims · 39 wordsas well as condoning and empowering the President to establish a slush fund for January 6 rioters, as well as tax immunity. Even though, purportedly, those agreements were limited, he will enable the President to circumvent the so-called agreements, Positioning · 4 wordswhich are a sham.Positioning Claims · 36 wordsThey are a fraud on the U.S. Senate just as Todd Blanche committed a fraud on the Florida U.S. district court that referred him to the New York bar for investigation in connection with that wrongdoing.² Procedure · 4 wordsMaya Angelou famously said: ProcedurePositioning · 21 wordsAnd Todd Blanche has shown us repeatedly who he is, who his boss is, and whose loyalty he will hold uppermost.Positioning Anecdote · 107 wordsI was a U.S. attorney in Connecticut for 4\1/2\ years, part of the Department of Justice, ³which I revered--more than just respected; in fact, revered--because it epitomized what lawyers should be in upholding the highest standards of ethics and morality. Even when we made an error, we were supposed to state it--in effect, acknowledge it before the court. I will never forget the first time I appeared before a U.S. district court judge in Connecticut, a former Federal prosecutor himself. And he asked me: Whom do you work for? I said: The government. He said: No. You work for and you represent the United States of America.Anecdote Procedure · 6 wordsThink of it for a moment: ProcedureReasoning · 53 wordswalking into a courtroom representing the United States of America, sworn to uphold the Constitution--not any President, not a legislature, but the United States of America. That is not what Todd Blanche has done as a Justice Department official under Donald Trump. It is not what he will do, as he showed clearly. Claims · 30 wordsNothing epitomizes it better than the answer he gave at one point when he referred to the attack on the Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021--we all remember it; ⁴Unearned certaintyProcedure · 4 wordswe went through it; ProcedureClaims · 77 wordswe saw it--the attack on the Capitol which injured and contributed to deaths of our Capitol Police.⁵ He referred to it as ``events.’’ He couldn’t bring himself to refer to it as an attack, as it clearly was, because Donald Trump will not allow any of his nominees to refer to the January 6 riot and insurrection as an attack on the Capitol. It was an attack designed to prevent the lawful and peaceful transition of power, Reasoning · 34 wordsand to call it anything else is disrespectful to the brave Capitol Police who defended us that day and disqualifying for a judicial nominee and for any position of trust in the U.S. Government. Claims · 71 wordsEarlier today, I participated in a press conference with some of the prosecutors--the career prosecutors--who pursued convictions of those rioters for the serious violations of Federal law that they incurred.⁶ They made the point that the failure to acknowledge an attack on the Capitol or that President Biden won the 2020 election shows a lack of independence that should be disqualifying. They have submitted a letter to all of us here.⁷ The ask · 34 wordsAnd I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record because they make the point that these statements by nominees for executive office or for judgeships, in effect, perpetuate the Big Lie. Procedure · 16 wordsThere being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 58

26 of 31 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I begin with a quote:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Now, admittedly, he had no intention of saying it that way.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “He had no intention of allowing that revelation to slip,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “but it was a glaring illustration of his mindset.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “He is literally kept by the President on his personal leash.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “You may think I am overstating it,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and the through line was he will be guided by blind loyalty to the President and contempt for the law, enabling the President in continued corrupt crypto schemes,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “which are a sham.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Maya Angelou famously said:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “And Todd Blanche has shown us repeatedly who he is, who his boss is,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and whose loyalty he will hold uppermost.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I was a U.S. attorney in Connecticut for 4\1/2\ years, part of the Department of Justice,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “which I revered--more than just respected;”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “in fact, revered--because it epitomized what lawyers should be in upholding the highest standards of ethics and morality.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Even when we made an error, we were supposed to state it--in effect, acknowledge it before the court.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I will never forget the first time I appeared before a U.S. district court judge in Connecticut, a former Federal prosecutor himself.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “And he asked me:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Whom do you work for?”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I said:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “The government.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “He said:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “No. You work for and you represent the United States of America.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Think of it for a moment:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “we went through it;”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “as follows:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 62

3 of 31 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

A conclusion that does not follow from the reasons given for it.What the tags mean “but it was a glaring illustration of his mindset.”A single quoted phrase is taken to reveal his whole mindset, and the claim that he did not intend it asserts his inner intent.
A conclusion that does not follow from the reasons given for it.What the tags mean “as he was during the criminal and civil trials--a trusted, loyal consigliere.”Having been the President’s personal lawyer in past trials is one prior role, from which future disloyalty to the United States does not follow.
A conclusion that does not follow from the reasons given for it.What the tags mean “and the through line was he will be guided by blind loyalty to the President and contempt for the law, enabling the President in continued corrupt crypto schemes,”A past personal-lawyer role and one word choice are stretched into blanket ‘blind loyalty’ and ‘contempt for the law’ plus enabling ‘corrupt crypto schemes’ with no support.

Conclusions found · 4

Conclusion“but it was a glaring illustration of his mindset.”

Because“``I am his lawyer.’’ ``I am his lawyer’’ is what Todd Blanche said in the course of his confirmation hearing for the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate.”

““I’m his lawyer,’’ meaning, I am Donald Trump’s lawyer.”

“Now, admittedly, he had no intention of saying it that way.”

Reason flawedA single quoted phrase is taken to reveal his whole mindset, and the claim that he did not intend it asserts his inner intent.
Conclusion“and the through line was he will be guided by blind loyalty to the President and contempt for the law, enabling the President in continued corrupt crypto schemes,”

Because“as he was during the criminal and civil trials--a trusted, loyal consigliere.”

“He referred to it as ``events.’’”

“because Donald Trump will not allow any of his nominees to refer to the January 6 riot and insurrection as an attack on the Capitol.”

Reason flawedA past personal-lawyer role and one word choice are stretched into blanket ‘blind loyalty’ and ‘contempt for the law’ plus enabling ‘corrupt crypto schemes’ with no support.
Conclusion“It is not what he will do,”

Because“as he was during the criminal and civil trials--a trusted, loyal consigliere.”

Reason flawedHaving been the President’s personal lawyer in past trials is one prior role, from which future disloyalty to the United States does not follow.
Conclusion“and to call it anything else is disrespectful to the brave Capitol Police who defended us that day and disqualifying for a judicial nominee and for any position of trust in the U.S. Government.”

Because“we saw it--the attack on the Capitol which injured and contributed to deaths of our Capitol Police.”

“It was an attack designed to prevent the lawful and peaceful transition of power,”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 90

2 of 31 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “in fact”The certainty marker presents his reading of the hearing as established without citing any evidence from it.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “we all remember it”An appeal to universal memory stands in for any source on the event.

Claims · 7

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“``I am his lawyer.’’”During his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Todd Blanche said “I am his lawyer” (referring to Donald Trump).search
2“referred him to the New York bar for investigation”A Florida U.S. district court referred Todd Blanche to the New York bar for investigation.search
3“I was a U.S. attorney in Connecticut for 4\1/2\ years”Richard Blumenthal served as U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut for four and a half years.search
4“referred to the attack on the Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021”Todd Blanche, in his hearing, referred to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack as “events.”search
5“the attack on the Capitol which injured and contributed to deaths of our Capitol Police”The January 6, 2021 Capitol attack injured Capitol Police officers and contributed to deaths of Capitol Police officers.search
6“I participated in a press conference with some of the prosecutors--the career prosecutors--who pursued convictions of those rioters”On August 5, 2026, Senator Blumenthal participated in a press conference with career prosecutors who pursued convictions of January 6 rioters.search
7“They have submitted a letter to all of us here.”The career prosecutors submitted a letter to all Senators.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15