Liz Oyer Testifies Against Todd Blanche

In March 2025 former Department of Justice pardon attorney Liz Oyer wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin urging them to oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General. Oyer says Blanche fired her after she refused to “rubber stamp” a political request to write a memo restoring gun rights for a celebrity friend of the President, identified in the piece as Mel Gibson, without the usual vetting. The article describes Oyer as a career lawyer and senior official who handled pardon recommendations at DOJ and who read her letter aloud for readers. The piece frames Blanche’s confirmation hearing as scheduled for July 15 and 16 and argues senators should deny his confirmation because of how Oyer’s dismissal was handled. The author urges readers to call their senators and cites Oyer’s letter as the central evidence to oppose Blanche.