We have documented statements by Todd Blanche on 2026 Midterm Elections, Election Security, and Federalism, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.
Role at the time: U.S. attorney general, interviewed on CBS's Face the Nation
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Blanche says the lawsuit does not ask Alaska to withhold certification outright, only if a court finds the result was decided by voter confusion rather than the will of the voters.
“It's not saying, don't certify. It's saying, if a court ultimately determines that it was decided because of confusion and not the will of the voters, then we do not think the states should certify, and that's consistent with federal law and consistent with even Alaskan law, if that happens.”
The case concerns DOJ's requested conditional intervention in certification of Alaska's Senate election. Blanche defends that request as limited and consistent with federal and Alaska law.
Role at the time: U.S. attorney general, interviewed on CNN's State of the Union
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Blanche says President Trump is not trying to take over a state election, and that Alaska should be able to address the result if it is obvious after the election that confusion led to an improper and illegal result.
“But I do think it's important for the American people to understand that we are not, President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form. What we're trying to do is make it -- make it clear that if it is obvious after the election that confusion led to an improper and illegal result, that the Alaskan system should be able to address that.”
The case concerns DOJ's requested conditional intervention in certification of Alaska's Senate election. Blanche defends the lawsuit as a way for Alaska to address a confused result, not a federal takeover.
Role at the time: Todd Blanche, U.S. attorney general, at the October 8 White House news conference
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Blanche says a company would warrant investigation if it discriminated against American workers in favor of foreign workers. He names Microsoft and Adobe while describing that condition.
“if a company, even including Microsoft, Adobe or any other, discriminates against an American worker in favor of someone on the other side of the world, that company has violated the trust of the federal government and the American people and will be investigated.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)JD Vance press conference on visa fraud, October 8, 2026Full 44:19 recording; Microsoft figures at 2:49-4:23; further discussion at 30:12-30:48 and 34:45-35:42
Why we used this label
The reference point is Microsoft's alleged replacement of American workers through visa programs. Blanche condemns discrimination while making his statement about Microsoft expressly conditional.
Todd Blanche defends DOJ's 40 announced denaturalization lawsuits as protecting national security and public safety.
“maintain our national security and protect the American people”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Justice Department Moves to Strip Citizenship from 40 Criminals in Largest Single-Period Filing Under the Trump Administration · United States Department of JusticePress release 26-1139: opening announcement, Blanche and Shumate statements, closing liability qualification
Why we used this label
Blanche endorses the campaign's use of denaturalization and its continuation, arguing that it protects the public.
DOJ's expanded nationwide election-monitoring deployment is justified as routine enforcement of federal election law.
“They’re going to every state to make sure that our elections are carried out legally fairly, and appropriately.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Todd Blanche on nationwide election monitoring: Fox News Sunday excerptsTranscript of the monitoring exchange, including Shannon Bream's armed-agents question; October 4 broadcast.
Why we used this label
He endorses the nationwide deployment as a legitimate way to enforce election law.
Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, interviewed on ABC's This Week
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the White House's removal of CNN from the television pool covering Trump's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, saying Trump has every right to decide who flies with him and that being in the White House is a privilege, not a right. He said deciding which reporters travel with the president is routine, and argued inaccurate reporting could affect national security by shaping how foreign governments and adversaries perceive the administration. Asked about the separate court ruling ordering CNN, MS NOW and Politico's broader access restored, Blanche said the order was temporary and the litigation was ongoing.
“The president has every right to decide who gets to fly on his plane, and it is national security, especially on Air Force One, and especially at the White House. Being in the White House is a privilege; it's not a right.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)MEAWW: Todd Blanche defends Trump's Air Force One press restrictionsParagraphs quoting Blanche's interview on ABC's This Week
Why we used this label
Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Blanche defends the related decision to drop CNN from the Air Force One pool, calling access a privilege and citing national security. That defends continuing to restrict access, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, answering a reporter’s question at a White House briefing
Explicitly stayed out
Statement summary
Asked at a White House briefing whether the administration would deport Rep. Ilhan Omar if she were found to have committed immigration fraud, Attorney General Todd Blanche said “I’m not talking about ongoing criminal investigations” and that he had nothing to say about the question “or … public reporting about what others have said about ongoing investigations.”
“I’m not talking about ongoing criminal investigations” … “I don’t have anything to say about your first question or anybody that’s … public reporting about what others have said about ongoing investigations.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Attorney General of the United States Todd Blanche Briefs Members of the Media, Sep. 15, 2026 · The White House08:04-08:56 (reporter's question and Blanche's answer).
Why we used this label
Blanche refuses to discuss any investigation of Omar, citing the general category of ongoing criminal investigations, and neither confirms nor denies one. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”, because he does not disavow the accusation; it loses because he expresses no view on the accusation or the investigation and closes the topic.
Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, at a White House press briefing
Defended or excused
Statement summary
At a Rose Garden briefing on the day Massie forced action on his resolution, Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Hegseth and said the Justice Department actively ensures that the law is followed.
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things. So, he follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the laws are complied with.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Thomas Massie pushes surprise impeachment vote of Pete HegsethParagraphs on the floor reading and on Blanche’s Rose Garden briefing.
Why we used this label
Relative to whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Blanche responds to the impeachment push by praising Hegseth and asserting legal compliance, which argues that there is no violation warranting removal. His claim about the Justice Department’s role is his own assertion, not an established finding.
Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters there are hypothetical doomsday scenarios in which the Justice Department could act on a state's certification. Chuck Schumer and voting rights advocates objected, and the Brennan Center says the federal government has no proper role.
DOJ seeks conditional restraint on Alaska Senate certification because two candidates share a name. Murkowski and Peltola criticize the intervention; the department argues that alleged voter confusion warrants relief.
JD Vance accused Microsoft of replacing laid-off Americans with foreign workers and announced a suspension of its PERM filings. Microsoft says most of its H-1B applications concerned employees it already employed.
DOJ plans election monitoring in every state and calls it routine enforcement work. The NAACP questions the program's authority and risks to voters, and seeks records through a FOIA lawsuit.
Trump announced a White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over their coverage. Read his original post, the outlets' responses and their accounts of reporters being refused entry.
Virginia defends its officer mask and identification rules as public-safety measures. DOJ argues that states cannot directly regulate federal officers carrying out federal duties and cites threats against agents. A preliminary injunction blocks enforcement against federal immigration personnel while Virginia appeals.
Ilhan Omar denies officials' claim that she married her brother and says DHS has not contacted her. Compare the interviews, her responses and the available evidence about a claimed investigation.
Volunteer immigration court observers are appealing a judge's refusal to order restored public access to hearings. The judge let two of their claims proceed but said a June 2026 government fact sheet lessened the risk of being shut out.
Nine former FBI agents and analysts say Kash Patel fired them for working on the Trump classified-documents investigation. Patel's letters accused them of poor judgment and a lack of impartiality; he told senators no one was fired simply for that work.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says ICE would go to polling places only for a threat or a warrant, and DHS says ICE is not planning operations targeting them but arrests could follow a threat. Three lawsuits allege that position violates federal law.
ICE officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renée Good, a U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis. DHS says she used her car as a weapon; Minneapolis and Minnesota officials say video shows no threat and call the self-defense account false.
Read Hegseth impeachment filings on military operations, oversight and Signal, the inspector general's findings, and his response to the claim he was 'texting war plans.'
