🚨 MUST WATCH: Deputy AG Todd Blanche Calls Out Fake News ABC George Stephanopoulos To His Face For.

Here’s where things get messy — and where the political context matters immensely.

Who is Don Lemon?

Don Lemon is a former CNN anchor. In early 2026 he was arrested in connection with disruptive conduct in Minneapolis — specifically related to storming a church service during protests. That event itself drew heavy attention and polarizing narratives.

Stephanopoulos’ Framing (as reported)

According to commentary, Stephanopoulos’ questions focused on how the justice system handled the arrest and what it means for press freedoms and accountability. The framing by outside commentaries suggests Stephanopoulos pressed Blanche on whether the DOJ was being fair or politically motivated.

Blanche’s Defense

Blanche reportedly pushed back, defending DOJ actions and challenging what he suggests are selective narratives in the media — albeit without publicly available exact phrasing. This is being interpreted by some commentators as an attack on media bias.

The conservative outlet The Federalist also weighed in separately on this topic, criticizing Stephanopoulos’ framing of the legal proceedings around the Lemon indictment as misleading.

🪩 5. Parsing “Fake News” Claims
What Does “Fake News” Even Mean?

“Fake news” is not a journalistic or legal term — it’s a politically charged term popularized over the last decade. It typically refers to:

Deliberately fabricated news stories that mimic journalism but contain false information.

Media coverage accused of bias, selective framing, or political slant.

Unless directly attributed to Blanche on the record, saying he “called Stephanopoulos fake news” is a second‑hand interpretation.

Why This Matters

Blanche, as a DOJ official, is expected to avoid outright attacking journalists or news organizations directly. It’s much more likely that he would push back on questions and defend DOJ actions rather than label a seasoned anchor as “fake news” on air.

So what we’re seeing in headlines like “Blanche annihilates Stephanopoulos over Don Lemon” or “Blanche hits back at ABC democrat propaganda” are interpretive ex post facto narratives written by partisan commentators — not verified official quotes from the show itself.

⚖️ 6. Contextualizing the Exchange Within a Polarized Media Environment

This moment cannot be understood outside of the broader context of U.S. media polarization:

🟦 Mainstream Outlets

Tend to emphasize procedural fairness, civil liberties, and institutional norms.

Are often accused by conservatives of biased coverage against conservative figures.

🟥 Right‑Wing Outlets

Tend to frame legal scrutiny of conservative figures as media persecution or bias.

Often use dramatic language (“destroyed,” “annihilated,” “called out fake news”) to describe confrontations.

When conservative outlets pick up an exchange like Blanche vs. Stephanopoulos, they often translate even normal pushback into a narrative of victory over a perceived liberal media. Conversely, mainstream outlets may focus on factual content of the DOJ’s position and minimize confrontational framing.

🧩 7. The Broader Legal and Political Stakes

This interview occurred against backdrop of:

Release of millions of pages of court‑mandated documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, which Blanche was defending.

Ongoing debates about how prosecutors handle politically sensitive cases.

Deep‑seated distrust across political media ecosystems.

Those factors amplified reactions to what might otherwise have been a routine Sunday political interview. What conservative commentators describe as a clash is essentially a policy defense meeting partisan questions.

📊 8. What Independent Sources Would Need to Confirm For a Full 3000‑Word VERBATIM ACCOUNT

To produce an accurate, word‑for‑word transcript of the Blanche–Stephanopoulos exchange, ideally we would need:

Official ABC News transcript

Video with closed captions

Unedited audio feed

Independent third‑party reporting from outlets like AP, Reuters, or NPR

At present, only opinionated summaries from partisan sources are available in wide circulation. That’s not enough for an authoritative 3,000‑word transcript.

📌 9. Conclusion — What We Can Say With Confidence

✔ There was an interview between Todd Blanche and George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week in early February 2026.
✔ Blanche defended DOJ positions and responded to tough questions.
✔ Some commentators interpret Blanche’s pushback as calling out media bias.
✔ There is no verified, neutral source that shows Blanche explicitly accusing Stephanopoulos or ABC of being “fake news” during the broadcast itself