Todd Blanche refuses to pledge Justice Department independence from Trump

In the United States, the attorney general is the top government lawyer who makes sure the law is followed fairly.

Todd Blanche just got that job — he is now the attorney general.

Before this job, Todd was President Trump's personal lawyer, helping him with his criminal cases.

Some people worry that because Todd used to work so closely with the president, he might not make fair and independent decisions.

A reporter asked Todd if he would promise to always make decisions completely on his own, without being told what to do by the president.

Todd said no, he would not promise that, and he said no attorney general ever should.

He also said the president would never ask him to do something wrong, so there was nothing to worry about.

Todd got the job after a very close vote in the Senate, where almost half of the people voted against him.

Some people are happy about his new job, but others are worried that the Justice Department might not stay fair and independent under President Trump.