Liz Oyer, fired DOJ attorney, urges senators to reject Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination after gun-rights case

Former Justice Department attorney Liz Oyer urged senators to reject Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, saying her dismissal followed her refusal to support a recommendation she believed would “rubber-stamp a political favor” in a gun-rights case tied to actor Mel Gibson, whom she described as a Trump ally, during Blanche’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to The Guardian.

Oyer, who said she worked at the Justice Department in a capacity involving firearms-rights decisions, told lawmakers that her disagreement centered on whether gun rights should be restored for Gibson. Blanche, nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department, testified to the committee on July 15, The Guardian reported, prompting Oyer’s public condemnation.

In describing her departure, Oyer characterized it as retaliation tied to her refusal to sign off on what she said was a politically motivated outcome. The Guardian reported that she said she was fired by Blanche after the recommendation dispute, framing it as a breakdown of standard legal and procedural review.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering Blanche’s nomination in the context of the committee’s broader responsibility to vet the attorney general nominee’s approach to the rule of law, including how the Justice Department evaluates requests that can affect access to firearms. Oyer’s intervention seeks to put the committee on notice about the nomination’s relationship to firearms-rights restoration decisions, the outlet reported.

The Guardian also reported that Oyer’s remarks referenced the firearms-rights matter involving Gibson and sought to link the outcome to Trump-world political ties. The extent to which any specific Justice Department decision-making record supports Oyer’s characterization was not confirmed in the article, and no Department of Justice filing or order was cited in the available reporting.

Because the central claims about Oyer’s firing and the causal link to Blanche’s conduct were presented through Oyer’s account as reported by The Guardian, the Justice Department’s view of the employment action and the basis for its firearms-rights process were not included in the material provided. Apex Times requires official confirmation before stating the firing or any related legal determinations as established facts beyond what Oyer told lawmakers and what the outlet reported.

If senators advance Blanche’s nomination, the committee could hold further questions with the nominee, and the full Senate would then determine whether to confirm the attorney general. Oyer’s remarks add a due-process and institutional-governance angle to the confirmation process by calling attention to internal review of firearms-rights requests, according to the reporting.