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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected April 26, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We spell present to acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche. Welcome, bully morning, and I'm gladsome you are safe, sir. It was a harrowing--
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Good morning, you arsenic well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It was a harrowing night, I privation to get consecutive to what we cognize now, successful the airy of day. The FBI, arsenic I recognize it, has gone to a location successful Torrance, California, believed to beryllium to the alleged shooter, astir apt into his DC edifice country arsenic well. What person they discovered there? What bash we know?
BLANCHE: Yes, that's right. So the FBI worked each night, moving with section instrumentality enforcement, moving with the Secret Service. They've executed assorted hunt warrants connected locations, besides connected devices that were recovered from the suspect. This probe is conscionable implicit 12 hours old, truthful we inactive are actively looking astatine everything that happened, but arsenic of now, we- we have- we person collected a just magnitude of evidence, which we're present going through.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Any denotation astatine this constituent that helium was portion of a group? Was determination immoderate overseas nexus to the inspiration for the unit helium attempted past night?
BLANCHE: We're inactive looking into motivation, and that's thing that hopefully we'll larn implicit the adjacent mates of days. We bash believe, based upon conscionable a precise preliminary commencement to knowing what happened, that helium was targeting members of the administration. We don't- we don't person specifics beyond that benignant of wide connection from what we've learned truthful far, but we are- we're actively talking to witnesses that knew him, and talking to different individuals and going done the worldly that we've collected. So I expect that you volition perceive more, much astir that successful the coming days.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned a statement, is the shooter- alleged shooter, sharing details connected what helium was attempting to do? What makes you accidental it was a menace to medication officials writ large?
BLANCHE: Just based connected the grounds we've collected. Not, not a connection from, from the suspect, conscionable from- from what we've learned successful our preliminary investigation, he's not actively cooperating. I expect that helium volition beryllium formally charged time greeting successful national tribunal successful Washington, DC, and we'll spell from there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the Secret Service has said that the suspected gunman was staying successful the hotel. He walked up to a information checkpoint with a shotgun, handgun and aggregate knives. How agelong had helium been wrong that hotel, and was determination a information protocol for- for guests?
BLANCHE: That's- we're still, we're inactive knowing the information protocols that led to him being, being capable to person firearms successful that hotel. We bash judge helium was staying successful the edifice successful the days starring up to past night. We judge that helium traveled by bid from Los Angeles to Chicago and past from Chicago to Washington, DC. As acold arsenic what happened with him coming down and breaching the perimeter, arsenic you've seen from immoderate videos that person already been released, helium was apprehended and subdued feet distant from breaking the perimeter so- truthful we were each harmless inside, and that's a testament to the Secret Service doing their job, and to instrumentality enforcement doing precisely what we, we anticipation and expect them to bash successful a time- they bid for this their full careers, and galore of them ne'er really spot it hap successful existent time, and it happened past night, and they reacted precisely arsenic they should have.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the alleged shooter, arsenic we conscionable said, had aggregate weapons successful his possession. Here successful the District of Columbia, unfastened transportation is not permitted. You conscionable said helium traveled from California crossed the state by train. At this point, are you reasoning astatine the national level of changing information protocols successful immoderate mode to, for example, lucifer connected trains what you are expected to spell done erstwhile you alert wherever you bash person to state a limb erstwhile you transverse authorities lines. How did helium question by bid without immoderate situation and get present successful the nation's capital?
BLANCHE: Look, this isn't about, successful my mind, changing the instrumentality oregon making the laws much restrictive astir possession of firearms. It appears helium purchased these firearms the past mates years. We don't cognize however those firearms ended up successful his possession successful DC. We can, we tin marque immoderate assumptions based upon what I conscionable said astir however helium got to DC, but I don't, I don't deliberation the communicative present is astir changing laws oregon changing- making. making our laws much restrictive. This is astir instrumentality enforcement who are doing their jobs and a fishy who tried to bash thing and failed miserably.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I'm not talking astir changing the instrumentality successful presumption of possession of a firearm. I'm asking astir crossing authorities lines with that firearm and arriving astatine the capital. If you effort to fly, you bash person to person your firearms declared successful immoderate way. You don't erstwhile you get connected a train.
BLANCHE: Well, look, you are talking about, I mean, if we're asking the question, that's talking astir changing the laws, and I don't deliberation that's thing that we should beryllium focused connected close present successful immoderate way, signifier oregon form--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, not a loophole successful your--
BLANCHE: There are tons of ways that- yeah, truthful I mean, look, the we don't and we besides don't know. We don't person each the answers this morning. We're inactive looking into, into what happened, however helium got the guns, if helium got them legally? But what we bash cognize is that- is that helium tried to usage them. He did person 2 firearms and immoderate knives connected his idiosyncratic erstwhile helium tried to usage them, and helium was stopped earlier helium got anyplace adjacent the president earlier helium got adjacent immoderate of america that were successful the country astatine the clip of that this occurred and- and that's, that's again, we can't, we can't overlook, and I'm not suggesting you are, but we can't place the large enactment of the Secret Service past night.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No, absolutely. We're each thankful for that. But we bash spot these benignant of threats astatine the section and authorities level arsenic well, for those who aren't arsenic heavy protected arsenic each of america successful that country were past night, which is wherefore I inquire you, if you're reviewing that. US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said the fishy volition beryllium charged with 2 counts, utilizing a firearm during a convulsive transgression and battle connected a national serviceman utilizing a unsafe weapon. Do you astatine this constituent expect further charges?
BLANCHE: Yes, I- we'll spot astir further charges. So that's 1 of the things that we request to spell done the evidence. So there's a batch of national charges that could beryllium successful play beyond those 2 charges, but it depends connected what - it depends connected america knowing his motive, his intent, his premeditation, that what led into him, him deciding that helium was going to bash what helium did past night. But conscionable to beryllium clear, those are precise superior charges. He volition person a - helium volition look a justice arsenic aboriginal arsenic time greeting for those 2 charges, but but the probe is marque new, and truthful we volition proceed to investigate. And if there's much charges, they'll they'll beryllium brought. He'll beryllium charged via complaint, and that'll beryllium time morning, and past an indictment volition come, volition travel thereafter, and determination could beryllium further charges successful that indictment, but we person to spot arsenic the grounds develops.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you indispensable person attended past correspondence dinners. I mean, for implicit 50 years, they've been held astatine this hotel. Last night, it was extraordinary, due to the fact that we had the president, the vice president, the talker of the house, the caput of state, the caput of defense, the caput of the treasury, each successful the aforesaid room. Those are 5 retired of the apical six leaders successful that - that enactment of succession for this country, should thing person really happened to the president himself. Was determination readying for that? I mean, erstwhile we person the authorities of the union, there's a designated survivor. Was determination an accrued interest astir gathering each of our enactment successful that country past night?
BLANCHE: We volition not halt doing things similar we did past nighttime successful this medication and this man, if his, 1 of his goals was to get america to beryllium scared, helium failed. And fto maine just, fto maine marque wide that you're right, each those folks were successful the country and more, and yet we were each safe. Law enforcement did their jobs, and truthful President Trump said past night, and helium means it, and I precise overmuch hold with him that this benignant of behaviour volition not deter him, it volition not halt him from living, it volition not halt him from doing his job. And that not is not - not lone him, but the vice president, the cabinet, the instrumentality enforcement, you all, journalists, you're not going to halt doing your jobs either due to the fact that of this, of this lone antheral that did what helium did. And truthful this is a, this is thing that that we each are inactive reacting to due to the fact that it's fresh, but I guarantee you that the types of things that you saw past nighttime and the president being retired determination and disposable to the American public, that volition not alteration due to the fact that of what this feline tried to bash past night.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, determination has been reporting implicit the past fewer months that owed to this accrued menace environment, some connected the home front, but besides due to the fact that of the warfare successful Gaza due to the fact that of the warfare successful Iran, that determination is an strength to this infinitesimal and that determination had been an effort to not let the vice president and president to beryllium unneurotic due to the fact that of the risk. Why was that different?
BLANCHE: Vice president and president are unneurotic astir each day. I mean, they're they're unneurotic perpetually truthful of people security–
MARGARET BRENNAN: --in a nationalist event. So that's mendacious reporting?
BLANCHE: That's well, I spot them unneurotic each the time. They were surely unneurotic past night. And truthful look, I'm not minimizing the threats that President Trump and the vice president and that each the furniture look each time for the reasons that you conscionable described domestically. Iran internationally. And that is wherefore we person a robust instrumentality enforcement keeping america harmless and doing their jobs. It allows the vice president and president to bash the enactment they request to do. It allows the caput of authorities to bash the enactment that helium needs to do. And truthful connected the 1 hand, we instrumentality those threats precise seriously. Always person and we ever will. On the different hand, we bash not the mode we respond to those threats is not to spell into a bunker and hide, it's to spot the instrumentality enforcement that are that are keeping america harmless and and that's what happened past night, and that's what I deliberation volition we volition proceed to spot going forward.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So arsenic I recognize it, determination was 1 injured Secret Service agent, but arsenic the president said, helium was wearing a bulletproof vest. Can you archer america if he's been released from the hospital? And to beryllium clear, determination were- determination was gunfire happening. We judge from our reporting that the shooter did get disconnected immoderate rounds. Was it the alleged shooter oregon alleged assailant present who changeable the Secret Service agent?
BLANCHE: That's what we that's what we recognize arsenic of now. And the president spoke with him past night. He was successful large spirits. He seemingly didn't truly adjacent privation to spell to the hospital, though helium was, helium was surely injured, and it was the close happening arsenic acold arsenic whether he's been released, I I don't privation to get into his, you know, his aesculapian situation. That's not just to him, but capable to accidental that we each heard his dependable past night, the president gave him words of encouragement and appreciation and thanking him for the enactment that he's doing for each of america and and I volition archer you, helium was successful precise bully spirits, and truthful that's a calamity avoided, and it is due to the fact that helium was wearing a bulletproof vest.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I person to fto you go. But writ large, is determination thought of expanding the country's information posture aft past night?
BLANCHE: We person each azygous time we're focused connected our security, and truthful I committedness you that that the enactment that we were doing yesterday volition proceed today, and if there's things that we request to adjust, I will. But past nighttime was of each the atrocious things that happened past night, and determination were a lot. It was a tragic evening. It was besides a occurrence communicative erstwhile it comes to the Secret Service and FBI and instrumentality enforcement, of which we're we're precise grateful.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Todd Blanche, convey you for your insights, and we'll beryllium tracking the probe arsenic it develops. 'Face the Nation volition beryllium backmost successful a minute, enactment with us.
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