Attorney General Todd Blanche Refuses to Rule Out Blocking Election Certification

Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to rule out the possibility that the Department of Justice could block states from certifying results for the upcoming November midterm elections. Speaking in Norfolk, Virginia, Blanche stated that while it is not the department's intention to improperly interfere with the certification process, he would not make conclusory statements about future actions, citing hypothetical doomsday scenarios.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon echoed this cautious stance, telling CBS News that the usual course of counting and certifying results should proceed absent some shocking contingency. These comments follow years of unsubstantiated claims of election fraud by President Donald Trump and recent reports that national security officials have advised states on preparing for potential federal interference.

Democratic officials reacted sharply to the remarks. The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom characterized the situation as a code red and accused the Justice Department of attempting to maintain power through interference. The tension coincides with a broader administration crackdown on noncitizen voting, including a Justice Department lawsuit against California and Los Angeles over 20,000 flagged ballots. Meanwhile, a federal judge recently blocked the Department of Homeland Security from conducting election-related investigations into noncitizen voting across nine states.