Todd Blanche Gets Testy Defending Trump’s Latest Election Interference Lawsuit

Attorney General Todd Blanche spent Sunday doing what he’s done most days of his life: showing the president he’s his most loyal servant, despite a job that’s supposed to be politically neutral.

Blanche defended his department’s lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from automatically certifying its Senate election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The legal maneuver comes as Republicans face the possibility of losing Senate control during the second half of President Donald Trump’s term, NPR reports.

Earlier this week, Blanche suggested the Justice Department could intervene in election certification under a “doomsday” scenario. But when CNN’s Dana Bash asked whether the lawsuit was laying the groundwork for Trump to challenge next week’s midterm results, Blanche insisted it wasn’t.

“We’re not laying any groundwork for the president to do that,” Blanche told Bash on State of the Union. “President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form,” he added.

Sure, Todd. And the Justice Department is just casually suing a state over an election that could determine which party controls the Senate.

The department claims the lawsuit is necessary because two candidates on Alaska’s Nov. 3 ballot have similar names. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, in a closely watched race. Also on the ballot is Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg.

Republicans have accused the retired teacher of trying to siphon votes from the senator. Daniel J. Sullivan, however, has denied running to confuse voters or undermine the incumbent.

The Justice Department wants Alaska to avoid certifying results that could be affected by voter confusion. Blanche argued that states must prevent confusion during elections and said the case concerns whether Alaska violated federal law and the Constitution.

When Bash raised the possibility that the administration’s actions could echo the aftermath of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Blanche grew defensive.

“Oh, you got to stop it with that. You are not being a real person. Come on, man,” he snapped, calling the suggestion “crazy.”

Blanche also called the discussion of Jan. 6 “so embarrassing” for CNN.

Meanwhile, Trump has already made clear who wanted the lawsuit filed.

“I’m the one that said do it,” he told reporters Friday in Florida.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Alaska, invokes the National Voter Registration Act and seeks to delay certification while the government investigates whether voters actually intended their ballots for Daniel J. Sullivan. The department has not explained how officials could determine voters’ intentions through secret ballots.

Alaska’s courts previously allowed the retired teacher to remain on the ballot after Republican election officials challenged his candidacy. The state has also taken steps to distinguish the two men: the incumbent appears as “Dan S. Sullivan,” with his Republican affiliation identified, while “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” has no party label.

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system also allows voters to rank both candidates. During the August primary, the senator received more than 68,000 votes, compared with 4,107 for the other Sullivan.

Even Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who supports her colleague’s reelection, criticized the lawsuit, arguing that Alaska had already taken steps to distinguish the candidates.

The lawsuit was signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who previously represented several people accused of participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

So much for keeping the Justice Department out of politics. With Trump openly claiming responsibility for the lawsuit and Blanche getting combative when asked about election interference, the administration’s assurances deserve exactly the amount of trust its actions have earned.

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