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Disputes over the policies, conduct, and oversight of law enforcement agencies.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
8 statements on this page. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 5, 2026
8 matching statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 5, 2026
8 published statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 5, 2026
1 published statement. Dates: June 11, 2026
1 statement on this page. Dates: June 11, 2026
Role at the time: Acting U.S. attorney general
Statement summary
Announcing DOJ's suit against the mask and identification rules and a separate cooperation law, Blanche says Virginia's policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for federal agents.
“Virginia’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand.”
DOJ invokes federal authority and officer safety in challenging the state's rules. The page is dated June 11, 2026 and marked updated October 20, 2026. The quotation is taken from that updated version.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Relative to Virginia's mask and identification rules, Blanche rejects their legitimacy and says they are designed to create risk for federal agents. His statement also covers the separate cooperation law.
4 published statements. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 5, 2026
4 statements on this page. Dates: January 19, 2026 to October 5, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. Attorney General
Statement summary
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”
DOJ announces 40 civil denaturalization complaints and quotes officials defending them. Its closing paragraph says liability on the complaints has not been determined. The release's claimed August 21-October 2 filing period conflicts with its August 10 date for one listed complaint.
Blanche endorses the campaign's use of denaturalization and its continuation, arguing that it protects the public.
Role at the time: Acting Attorney General
Statement summary
Blanche defended 25 denaturalization complaints and said DOJ would continue pursuing cases to protect the naturalization process and public safety.
“but they are only the beginning”
DOJ announced complaints alleging that 25 people obtained citizenship through fraud, concealment or other unlawful conduct. Blanche described the filings as the beginning of a larger effort. DOJ said the complaints contained allegations.
Role at the time: Deputy Attorney General
Statement summary
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche asked why there is objection to sending ICE officers to polling places and said, "Illegals can't vote. It doesn't make any sense".
“Why is there objection to sending ICE officers to polling places? Illegals can't vote. It doesn't make any sense.”
Forbes Breaking News video of an on-stage conversation at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio. The Hill's written version of the question differs slightly.
Role at the time: Deputy Attorney General of the United States
Statement summary
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department would not investigate the shooting, framing Ross as an officer who had been forced to defend himself and saying investigation was not appropriate at this time.
“We don't just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody. We investigate when it's appropriate to investigate.”
Reports the Justice Department's Jan. 19, 2026 decision not to open a federal criminal investigation into the shooting, quoting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
2 published statements. Dates: May 6, 2026 to July 15, 2026
2 statements on this page. Dates: May 6, 2026 to July 15, 2026
Role at the time: Acting Attorney General, testifying at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing
Statement summary
At his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Blanche was asked whether he would commit to following federal law and not deploying federal agents to polling locations. He said, "I will absolutely follow the law, no matter what it includes", and, asked whether he understood voters' concern about armed agents at polling places, said, "I'm not aware of that concern".
“I will absolutely follow the law, no matter what it includes. … I'm not aware of armed agents being at polling places. … I'm not aware of that concern, but I will tell you we will follow the law, Senator.”
PBS News clip of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche answering a senator's questions at his confirmation hearing about deploying federal agents to polling locations. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio.
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 committed to following the law without saying whether that means no federal agents at polling places, and said he was not aware of voters' concern. His answer depends on what the law requires, a condition he did not resolve, so mixed or conditional fits better than explicitly declines, since he did answer, and better than denies, since he did not rule out a deployment.
Role at the time: Acting Attorney General
Statement summary
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.”
1 published statement. Dates: September 15, 2026
1 statement on this page. Dates: September 15, 2026
Role at the time: Attorney General of the United States, answering a reporter’s question at a White House briefing
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.”
The White House's video of Attorney General Todd Blanche's September 15, 2026 briefing. A reporter asks about Tom Homan's remarks on Rep. Ilhan Omar at about 08:14.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)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.
The reference point is the expanded campaign. Blanche endorses continued enforcement and its expansion.
The fixed reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE at or near polling places. Blanche's rhetorical question argued that objections to sending ICE officers to polling places have no basis, which defends the idea. He described no conditions, so mixed or conditional does not fit.
Blanche adopts and repeats the framing that Ross acted in self-defense as the basis for declining to investigate, endorsing the justification DHS has offered rather than merely disputing terminology.
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.
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.
