Attorney General Todd Blanche went on the Sunday talk shows right after his confirmation and refused to pledge independence from President Donald Trump. This sounds corrupt to the media, but it makes sense to anyone who has read the Constitution. Blanche then assured America that Trump would never ask him to do anything inappropriate or corrupt. This is what a Trump appointee is expected to say, but it is laughable to anyone who knows Trump.

These two moments, both from Blanche’s interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, highlight a problem at the root of our political dysfunction.