Attorney General Todd Blanch stated that he would not rule out DOJ interference in the election or state certification process.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support3 context
- Said
- 2 times·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Briefing with Jen PsakiOct 23, 2026
Multiple reports of Blanche's October 22, 2026 remarks confirm he declined to rule out DOJ action that could block state certification in a hypothetical 'doomsday scenario', saying 'of course I'm not going to say that.' The claim's core matches the record, though he paired this with a stated intention not to improperly interfere, and the claim's 'Blanch' spelling is a.
A played clip makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post.
What was said
… And if any of these warnings sound hysterical or overblown to you, here's Donald Trump's Attorney General Todd Blanch earlier today: "It's not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to, properly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process, or should certification process. But, you know, to say that there's no circumstances that we would ever do that, I'm not going to say that. Of course, I won't say that. I know what Donald Trump wants me to do. This, of course, I'm not gonna rule it out." This existential question and threat coming from the White House about free and fair elections, and whether or not they will survive Donald Trump's full on assault, is where we begin today. …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Hill reports Blanche told reporters there are hypothetical 'scenarios' in which DOJ could block certification, and said 'There's no circumstances that we would ever do that... Of course I'm not going to say that.'[2]
Supports. NBC News reports Blanche 'left open the possibility that the Justice Department could seek to block states from certifying votes in the midterm elections,' while saying it was not his intention to improperly interfere.[3]
Supports. The Independent and AP (via Yahoo) both report Blanche refused to rule out DOJ action to block state certification, citing a 'doomsday scenario' and the statement 'I'm not going to say that.'[4][5]
Context. Blanche also stated the department has no intention to improperly interfere with elections or the certification process, and on Face the Nation (Oct. 25) said DOJ should act if facts and law require it.[2][6]
Context. DOJ sued Alaska over the Senate race ballot, and Reuters (Nov. 2) reports courts rejected the department's lawsuits against both states.[1][7]
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Blanche: DOJ could block election certification in 'doomsday scenario'thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports, context
- 3Blanche won’t rule out DOJ post-election action in a ‘doomsday’ scenarionbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Trump's attorney general won't rule out DOJ action to stop ...independent.co.uk · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Blanche Cites 'Doomsday' Scenario for DOJ Election Roleyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Transcript: Attorney General Todd Blanche on "Face the ...cbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 7Trump Justice Dept breaks with tradition to intervene in midtermsrmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 2 published posts
Related claims
- Attorney General Todd Blanch stated that there are hypothetical doomsday scenarios for the election.True
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