Will the Senate Confirm Thugs Like Bill Pulte & Todd Blanche? (w/ Tom Joscelyn)

The Bulwark's Bill Kristol and Tom Joscelyn dissect the Trump administration's latest moves to consolidate power through politically loyalist appointments, focusing on Bill Pulte as director of national intelligence and Todd Blanche as attorney general. Joscelyn argues these are not mere bureaucratic picks but part of a calculated, authoritarian strategy to weaponize federal agencies against democratic norms. Pulte, despite no relevant expertise, is positioned to continue Tulsi Gabbard’s propaganda campaign falsely accusing the Obama administration of election sabotage and now to justify foreign interference claims as a pretext for federal election oversight—directly violating the Constitution. Blanche, a former personal lawyer and known Epstein cover-up figure, is set to expand DOJ efforts to centralize voter data, potentially enabling federal override of state election integrity. Together, these appointments signal a systemic effort to undermine state authority, manufacture election fraud narratives, and prepare for 2028 by embedding loyalty above law. The episode warns that this is not just about ideology—it’s about institutional subversion under the guise of national security. The core danger, as Joscelyn emphasizes, is not just the individuals but the precedent: when intelligence and justice become instruments of political loyalty, democracy collapses from within.