Attorney General Blanche refuses to rule out DOJ blocking election certification in a 'doomsday' scenario
US Attorney General Todd Blanche has refused to rule out the Department of Justice intervening in states' midterm election certification processes, pointing to extreme hypothetical situations — what he called a 'doomsday scenario' — that could prompt federal action.
Speaking to reporters in Virginia on Thursday, Blanche said it was not his intention to 'improperly interfere with elections,' but declined to rule out federal involvement if such a scenario occurred. 'Of course there's scenarios that we can all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario, for example, right?' he said. 'So, I don't think it's proper to make any kind of conclusory statements about what's going to happen in the future, because I have no idea what's happening in the future.'
Asked whether he could say there were no circumstances under which the DOJ would get involved, Blanche replied: 'Of course, I'm not going to say that.' But he added that he is not planning his days around the election in order to block certification somewhere: 'Of course not, no, not at all.'
Under the US Constitution and federal law, elections are run by state and local officials rather than the federal government. The DOJ's role is limited, allowing it primarily to safeguard civil rights and prosecute people who violate election law. Federal law does not specifically authorise the department to challenge ballots or delay a state's certification of election results.
At a news conference in Norfolk, Blanche was questioned about the DOJ's litigation against states, which seeks to force officials to hand over unredacted voter data and to halt the counting of ballots cast by thousands of voters the federal government argues are likely noncitizens.
Blanche said the DOJ was 'not trying to create chaos' but wanted to alert officials to potential problems. 'I'm not trying to not have an election certified. Of course not,' he said. 'What we're trying to do is guarantee to the American people that the only people that are voting are people that are eligible to vote.'
Responding to the comments, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Senate Democrats 'have been preparing for this for months and will be ready' for whatever administration officials try. 'As Trump and his cronies attempt to steal this election, we are fighting them at every turn,' Schumer posted on X. 'Our elections must always belong to the voters — not Donald Trump.'
The administration sued California election officials last week, arguing they failed to act quickly enough to review names the federal government identified as likely noncitizens. The DOJ asked a judge to block the state from counting mail-in ballots from those individuals unless their eligibility could be confirmed.
The California secretary of state's office said it was given only 48 hours to review roughly 20,000 names.
The DOJ was also weighing additional election-related litigation against states, but a federal judge this week temporarily restricted certain election-related field operations and interviews in nine states through Election Day. The judge stayed the order until Friday evening to give the administration an opportunity to appeal.
Earlier this week, Democratic leaders and election groups filed a lawsuit against the administration, accusing it of 'threats and intimidation' ahead of Election Day.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said noncitizen voting poses a serious threat to election integrity, although studies and prosecutions have found that instances of noncitizens casting ballots in federal elections have historically been extremely rare.
As the midterms approach, Blanche's stance looks set to deepen the dispute — the administration insists it only wants to guarantee that eligible voters vote, while opponents argue that any hint of federal intervention pressures voters' rights. Court decisions and states' responses in the coming days will determine where this standoff goes next.
