The next is the transcript of the interview with performing Legal professional Common Todd Blanche that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on April 26, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to performing Legal professional Common, Todd Blanche. Welcome, good morning, and I’m glad you’re secure, sir. It was a harrowing–
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Good morning, you as nicely.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It was a harrowing evening, I need to get straight to what we all know now, within the mild of day. The FBI, as I perceive it, has gone to a house in Torrance, California, believed to belong to the alleged shooter, more than likely into his DC resort room as nicely. What have they found there? What do we all know?
BLANCHE: Sure, that’s proper. So the FBI labored all evening, working with native regulation enforcement, working with the Secret Service. They’ve executed varied search warrants on places, additionally on gadgets that have been recovered from the suspect. This investigation is simply over 12 hours previous, so we nonetheless are actively taking a look at every thing that occurred, however as of now, we- we have- we have now collected a good quantity of proof, which we’re now going by way of.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Any indication at this level that he was a part of a bunch? Was there any international nexus to the inspiration for the violence he tried final evening?
BLANCHE: We’re nonetheless wanting into motivation, and that’s one thing that hopefully we’ll study over the following couple of days. We do imagine, primarily based upon only a very preliminary begin to understanding what occurred, that he was focusing on members of the administration. We don’t- we don’t have specifics past that form of common assertion from what we’ve realized thus far, however we are- we’re actively speaking to witnesses that knew him, and speaking to different people and going by way of the fabric that we’ve collected. So I count on that you’ll hear extra, extra about that within the coming days.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You talked about a press release, is the shooter- alleged shooter, sharing particulars on what he was trying to do? What makes you say it was a menace to administration officers writ giant?
BLANCHE: Simply primarily based on the proof we’ve collected. Not, not a press release from, from the suspect, simply from- from what we’ve realized in our preliminary investigation, he’s not actively cooperating. I count on that he shall be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal courtroom in Washington, DC, and we’ll go from there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the Secret Service has mentioned that the suspected gunman was staying within the resort. He walked as much as a safety checkpoint with a shotgun, handgun and a number of knives. How lengthy had he been inside that resort, and was there a safety protocol for- for company?
BLANCHE: That’s- we’re nonetheless, we’re nonetheless understanding the safety protocols that led to him being, having the ability to have firearms in that resort. We do imagine he was staying within the resort within the days main as much as final evening. We imagine that he traveled by practice from Los Angeles to Chicago after which from Chicago to Washington, DC. So far as what occurred with him coming down and breaching the perimeter, as you’ve seen from some movies which have already been launched, he was apprehended and subdued toes away from breaking the perimeter so- so we have been all secure inside, and that’s a testomony to the Secret Service doing their job, and to regulation enforcement doing precisely what we, we hope and count on them to do in a time- they practice for this their total careers, and lots of of them by no means truly see it occur in actual time, and it occurred final evening, and so they reacted precisely as they need to have.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the alleged shooter, as we simply mentioned, had a number of weapons in his possession. Right here within the District of Columbia, open carry just isn’t permitted. You simply mentioned he traveled from California throughout the nation by practice. At this level, are you considering on the federal degree of fixing safety protocols in any option to, for instance, match on trains what you’re anticipated to undergo whenever you fly the place you do should declare a weapon whenever you cross state strains. How did he journey by practice with none problem and arrive right here within the nation’s capital?
BLANCHE: Look, this isn’t about, in my thoughts, altering the regulation or making the legal guidelines extra restrictive round possession of firearms. It seems he bought these firearms the previous couple years. We don’t understand how these firearms ended up in his possession in DC. We will, we are able to make some assumptions primarily based upon what I simply mentioned about how he bought to DC, however I don’t, I don’t assume the narrative right here is about altering legal guidelines or changing- making. making our legal guidelines extra restrictive. That is about regulation enforcement who’re doing their jobs and a suspect who tried to do one thing and failed miserably.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, I’m not speaking about altering the regulation by way of possession of a firearm. I’m asking about crossing state strains with that firearm and arriving on the capital. For those who attempt to fly, you do should have your firearms declared not directly. You don’t whenever you get on a practice.
BLANCHE: Properly, look, you’re speaking about, I imply, if we’re asking the query, that’s speaking about altering the legal guidelines, and I don’t assume that’s one thing that we must be centered on proper now in any approach, form or type–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, not a loophole in your–
BLANCHE: There are many methods that- yeah, so I imply, look, the we don’t and we additionally don’t know. We don’t have all of the solutions this morning. We’re nonetheless wanting into, into what occurred, how he bought the weapons, if he bought them legally? However what we do know is that- is that he tried to make use of them. He did have two firearms and a few knives on his particular person when he tried to make use of them, and he was stopped earlier than he bought wherever close to the president earlier than he bought close to any of us that have been within the room on the time of that this occurred and- and that’s, that’s once more, we are able to’t, we are able to’t overlook, and I’m not suggesting you’re, however we are able to’t overlook the nice work of the Secret Service final evening.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No, completely. We’re all grateful for that. However we do see these form of threats on the native and state degree as nicely, for many who aren’t as closely protected as all of us in that room have been final evening, which is why I ask you, in the event you’re reviewing that. US Legal professional for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, mentioned the suspect shall be charged with two counts, utilizing a firearm throughout a violent crime and assault on a federal officer utilizing a harmful weapon. Do you at this level anticipate additional prices?
BLANCHE: Sure, I- we’ll see about additional prices. In order that’s one of many issues that we have to undergo the proof. So there’s a number of federal prices that may very well be in play past these two prices, nevertheless it is dependent upon what – it is dependent upon us understanding his motive, his intent, his premeditation, that what led into him, him deciding that he was going to do what he did final evening. However simply to be clear, these are very severe prices. He can have a – he’ll face a choose as early as tomorrow morning for these two prices, however however the investigation is model new, and so we are going to proceed to research. And if there’s extra prices, they’ll they’ll be introduced. He’ll be charged by way of criticism, and that’ll be tomorrow morning, after which an indictment will come, will come thereafter, and there may very well be further prices in that indictment, however we have now to see because the proof develops.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you need to have attended previous correspondence dinners. I imply, for over 50 years, they’ve been held at this resort. Final evening, it was extraordinary, as a result of we had the president, the vp, the speaker of the home, the secretary of state, the secretary of protection, the secretary of the treasury, all in the identical room. These are 5 out of the highest six leaders in that – that line of succession for this nation, ought to one thing have truly occurred to the president himself. Was there planning for that? I imply, when we have now the state of the union, there’s a chosen survivor. Was there an elevated concern about gathering all of our management in that room final evening?
BLANCHE: We won’t cease doing issues like we did final evening on this administration and this man, if his, one in all his targets was to get us to be scared, he failed. And let me simply, let me clarify that you just’re proper, all these people have been within the room and extra, and but we have been all secure. Legislation enforcement did their jobs, and so President Trump mentioned final evening, and he means it, and I very a lot agree with him that one of these conduct won’t deter him, it won’t cease him from residing, it won’t cease him from doing his job. And that not just isn’t – not solely him, however the vp, the cupboard, the regulation enforcement, you all, journalists, you’re not going to cease doing all your jobs both due to this, of this lone man that did what he did. And so it is a, that is one thing that that all of us are nonetheless reacting to as a result of it’s recent, however I guarantee you that the varieties of issues that you just noticed final evening and the president being on the market and out there to the American public, that won’t change due to what this man tried to do final evening.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Properly, there was reporting over the previous few months that because of this elevated menace atmosphere, each on the home entrance, but in addition due to the struggle in Gaza due to the struggle in Iran, that there’s an depth to this second and that there had been an effort to not permit the vp and president to be collectively due to the chance. Why was that completely different?
BLANCHE: Vp and president are collectively virtually every single day. I imply, they’re they’re collectively continually so in fact safety–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –in a public occasion. In order that’s false reporting?
BLANCHE: That’s nicely, I see them collectively on a regular basis. They have been definitely collectively final evening. And so look, I’m not minimizing the threats that President Trump and the vp and that each one the cupboard face every single day for the explanations that you just simply described domestically. Iran internationally. And that’s the reason we have now a sturdy regulation enforcement preserving us secure and doing their jobs. It permits the vp and president to do the work they should do. It permits the secretary of state to do the work that he must do. And so forth the one hand, we take these threats very significantly. All the time have and we all the time will. However, we don’t the way in which we reply to these threats just isn’t to enter a bunker and conceal, it’s to belief the regulation enforcement which can be which can be preserving us secure and and that’s what occurred final evening, and that’s what I feel will we are going to proceed to see going ahead.
MARGARET BRENNAN: In order I perceive it, there was one injured Secret Service agent, however because the president mentioned, he was carrying a bulletproof vest. Are you able to inform us if he’s been launched from the hospital? And to be clear, there were- there was gunfire occurring. We imagine from our reporting that the shooter did get off some rounds. Was it the alleged shooter or alleged assailant right here who shot the Secret Service agent?
BLANCHE: That’s what we that’s what we perceive as of now. And the president spoke with him final evening. He was in nice spirits. He apparently didn’t actually even need to go to the hospital, though he was, he was definitely injured, and it was the precise factor so far as whether or not he’s been launched, I I don’t need to get into his, you already know, his medical scenario. That’s not honest to him, however sufficient to say that all of us heard his voice final evening, the president gave him phrases of encouragement and appreciation and thanking him for the work that he’s doing for all of us and and I’ll inform you, he was in excellent spirits, and in order that’s a tragedy prevented, and it’s as a result of he was carrying a bulletproof vest.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I’ve to allow you to go. However writ giant, is there considered rising the nation’s safety posture after final evening?
BLANCHE: We’ve got each single day we’re centered on our safety, and so I promise you that that the work that we have been doing yesterday will proceed right this moment, and if there’s issues that we have to modify, I’ll. However final evening was of all of the unhealthy issues that occurred final evening, and there have been loads. It was a tragic night. It was additionally a hit story relating to the Secret Service and FBI and regulation enforcement, of which we’re we’re very grateful.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All proper. Todd Blanche, thanks on your insights, and we’ll be monitoring the investigation because it develops. ‘Face the Nation shall be again in a minute, stick with us.
