Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Sen. Blumenthal asks Blanche whether federal agents should fire their weapons into cars
Posted
July 15, 2026
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July 15, 2026
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1:08Now PlayingSen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, asked U.S. attorney general nominee Todd Blanche whether he agreed that federal agents should not “fire their weapons into cars unless there is an imminent threat.”
In the past week, federal immigration officers have fatally shot two people during traffic stops.
“There's a well established standard as to when an agent can discharge their firearm, and I think that that's something that that should be followed in every case,” Blanche said during his Wednesday confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Blumenthal doubled down, saying the standard “includes not firing weapons into cars.”
“I mean, there's not really a response. It requires federal agents to follow the rules,” Blanche said.
The Department of Homeland Security had sent an internal memo ordering a pause on vehicle stops, but on Wednesday a White House official confirmed to PBS News that the president had overturned the pause.
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