Todd Blanche Won’t Rule Out DOJ Disruption of Midterm Elections Certification

Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters on Thursday that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Department of Justice (DOJ) refusing to allow states to certify their own election results in this year’s midterm races.

Blanche’s comments come as Americans are expressing deep skepticism that President Donald Trump will accept election outcomes if Republicans lose to Democrats.

According to the U.S. Constitution, states are the managers of elections, not the federal government. But the administration could attempt to dispute the election results by claiming widespread fraud had taken place, refusing to allow states to certify outcomes through extreme measures, including seizing ballots.

As Blanche was boarding a plane in Virginia, he was asked by reporters whether it was possible that the DOJ could disrupt the certification process after the midterms concluded. The attorney general said he wouldn’t rule out the idea.

“It is not DOJ’s intention to, and it’s never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process,” Blanche said, but added that he may feel compelled to do so in a “doomsday scenario.”

“To say that there’s no circumstances that we would ever do that …. of course, I’m not going to say that,” he elaborated.

The DOJ has already taken steps to purportedly root out fraud and ineligible voters in several states, despite evidence suggesting that claims of widespread fraud are unfounded.

There are reports that federal agents have started going door to door to search for supposed noncitizen voters, an action that could intimidate residents who are eligible to participate in the elections. The DOJ has also threatened state election officials, warning them of potential criminal prosecutions if they allow noncitizens to vote this November.

The administration’s claims have fallen apart under scrutiny — for example, a report the White House produced alleging that 24,000 noncitizens participated in the 2020 presidential election (which Trump lost) was deemed deeply flawed due to unusual methodology.

Polling has consistently demonstrated that Democrats are likely to win the House of Representatives in this year’s midterm races. The Democratic Party is also within reach of winning the Senate, some polls have suggested.

If Republicans lose to Democrats, most Americans have doubts that Trump will accept the results.

According to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll published this week, only 28 percent of voters said they were “confident” Trump would accept the results of the midterms. Meanwhile, 70 percent said they were “not confident” that he would.

Trump has already indicated that he will only accept the results if he deems them “honest,” saying as much back in February. If he doesn’t believe they are honest, then “something else has to happen,” he said.