Blanche Won't Rule Out DOJ Involvement in Election Certification in a 'Doomsday' Scenario, Says He Is Not Planning to Block Any
Asked in Norfolk whether the Justice Department could step into states' certification of midterm results, the attorney general said he would not make 'conclusory statements' about hypotheticals. Schumer said Senate Democrats have been preparing for months.
Attorney General Todd Blanche declined Thursday to say the Justice Department would never get involved in a state's certification of midterm election results. He also said he is not planning to try. Fox News reports the exchange came at a news conference in Norfolk, Virginia.
What he said. Blanche said it was not his intention to "improperly interfere with elections." Pressed on whether federal action could ever follow, he said: "Of course there's scenarios that we can all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario, for example, right?" He said it would not be proper to make "conclusory statements" about the future. On whether he is planning around Election Day to be somewhere to not certify, he answered: "Of course not, no, not at all." And on the goal: "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."
The legal backdrop. Fox notes that the Justice Department's role in elections is limited. It mainly protects civil rights and prosecutes violations of election law, and federal law does not specifically authorize it to challenge ballots or delay a state's certification. States and localities run elections.
The litigation. Blanche was asked about DOJ suits seeking unredacted voter data and a halt to counting ballots from voters the government says are likely noncitizens. The administration sued California officials last week over roughly 20,000 names. California's secretary of state says it had 48 hours to review them. Fox adds that a federal judge this week temporarily limited certain election-related field operations and interviews in nine states, with the order stayed until Friday evening so the administration can appeal.
The reaction. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Democrats "have been preparing for this for months and will be ready." He accused the administration of trying to "steal this election." Those are his words, not a finding.
Note for readers: Fox points out that studies and prosecutions have found noncitizen voting to be very rare, while President Trump has called it a serious threat. All quotes are as reported by Fox News.