FULL: Acting AG Todd Blanche holds 1st press briefing since Bondi's firing, talks anti-fraud efforts

Video Description

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche delivered his first public remarks Tuesday afternoon following the firing of former Attorney General Pam Bondi, using the moment to highlight an aggressive new federal push to combat fraud. Blanche opened by praising Bondi’s tenure, calling her “a great patriot to this country” and crediting her with helping make “our streets safer” through efforts targeting violent crime, drug cartels and systemic reform at the Department of Justice. The focus of his remarks quickly turned to fraud enforcement, which Blanche described as a growing national crisis costing taxpayers billions. “The Department of Justice is holding criminals accountable for stealing over half a billion dollars from taxpayers,” he said, pointing to multiple major cases resolved just this week alone, including healthcare and COVID-19 fraud schemes totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. According to Blanche, those cases represent only a fraction of the problem. “We currently have over 8,000 fraud matters underway,” he said, warning that “these cases represent a fraction of the fraud ripping off our country every day.” Blanche framed the administration’s response as a major escalation, tied directly to President Donald Trump’s broader agenda. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump this department is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice,” he said. He added a stark warning: “Fraudsters, scammers, tax cheats should be on notice now.” A centerpiece of the announcement was the creation of a new National Fraud Enforcement Division, which Blanche described as a first-of-its-kind, centralized effort to tackle fraud across multiple sectors. “Its core mission will be to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal taxpayer dollars and rip off the American people,” Blanche said. The division will bring together specialists in healthcare, tax, benefits and corporate fraud, consolidating expertise “under one roof, with one mission.” The initiative will also significantly expand prosecutorial resources nationwide. “There will be an additional 93 prosecutors in every district across the country devoted to the mission of combating fraud,” Blanche said, emphasizing a coordinated, nationwide approach. Blanche also announced the creation of a National Fraud Detention Center, a multi-agency, data-driven operation designed to identify and track complex fraud schemes. The center will combine analytics and investigative resources across the federal government to “track down even the most sophisticated fraudsters and hold them accountable.” READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/acting-ag-todd-blanche-to-highlight-trump-administrations-fraud-wins-in-first-briefing-pam-bondi-fired-minnesota-california-jd-vance-fraud-czar-colin-mcdonald-medicare-medicaid-dr-oz _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: 13 WHAM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13WHAM 13 WHAM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/13WHAM 13WHAM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13whamtv/?hl=en 13WHAM on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en 13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuTJB6tta5ar3Fu5CumAvlvVunEP6bc9A For more information, visit https://13wham.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700 WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork