Blanche disputes that he supported armed federal officers at polling places and asks "what's the risk?"
Todd BlancheActing Attorney General
In a NewsNation interview clip published May 6, 2026, Blanche was asked about remarks that the interviewer described as support for deploying armed federal officers to polling locations. He answered, "Well, that's not true. I have not said that", and said, "I also am not sure of the uproar of the risk of having a Border Patrol or an ICE agent at a polling location".
“Well, that's not true. I have not said that. … So I also am not sure of the uproar of the risk of having a Border Patrol or an ICE agent at a polling location or looking into whether somebody is voting that shouldn't be. If you are here illegally, you cannot vote. And so what's the risk? … I was not talking about whether I'm supporting or not supporting it.”
Original video
Reporting
Other statements by Todd Blanche in this case
- Blanche asks, "Why is there objection to sending ICE officers to polling places?"Earlier: Defended or excused
- Blanche tells senators "I will absolutely follow the law" when asked to commit to no federal agents at polling placesLater: Mixed or conditional
Where this statement fits
Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Since February 2026, federal officials have given differing answers about whether ICE and other armed federal agents could be at or near polling places during the November 3 election. On September 1, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE would be at a polling place only if there is a threat to it or agents are serving a warrant, and DHS told Politico that ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations but that arrests could result if an active public safety threat endangered one. On September 10, 18 and 23, 2026, LULAC and other groups, a coalition including the NAACP, and Democratic leaders and party committees sued separately in federal court in Washington. They allege that the administration's statements and actions violate 18 U.S.C. 592, Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, or both. As of September 25, the court dockets show no motion for a preliminary injunction and no answer or motion to dismiss from the federal defendants, and no court has ruled.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
NewsNation's clip from an interview with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about deploying ICE at polling locations. The interviewer says Blanche recently expressed some support for deploying armed federal officers there and asks how that fits with the federal law that bars armed federal law enforcement at such locations. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio.
Reporting
About this source
Democracy Docket's report on Secretary Markwayne Mullin's September 1 remarks. It recounts Blanche's interview remarks while acting attorney general and quotes him asking what the risk is. Its quotation is shorter than, and slightly different from, the words heard in the NewsNation video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The interviewer told Blanche that he had recently expressed some support for deploying armed federal officers to polling locations and asked how that fit with the federal law that bars armed federal law enforcement at those locations.
After the quotation
When the interviewer asked whether he was in support of federal immigration officers checking the validity of someone's voting status, Blanche said he was not talking about whether he supported it. He said one way to find out whether someone is in the country illegally is immigration information and databases that the Border Patrol has.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE and other armed federal agents at or near polling places in the 2026 election. Blanche disputed the interviewer's description of his earlier remarks as support for deploying armed federal officers, said he was not talking about whether he supported it, and also asked what the risk is of a Border Patrol or ICE agent at a polling location. Those positions pull in different directions, so mixed or conditional fits better than challenges the characterization or defends or excuses.
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- Blanche disputes that he supported armed federal officers at polling places and asks "what's the risk?"
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/2749-in-a-newsnation-interview-clip-published-may-6
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The Dispute Index. "Blanche disputes that he supported armed federal officers at polling places and asks "what's the risk?"". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2749-in-a-newsnation-interview-clip-published-may-6