U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected a question about whether President Donald Trump might contest November’s midterm results during a Sunday interview focused on a federal lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate race.
CNN host Dana Bash asked whether the case could signal efforts to challenge results in other states. The Justice Department (DOJ) lawsuit seeks to block certification of Alaska’s race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
Blanche told Bash the DOJ was trying to stop what he described as fraud and voter confusion. He rejected the suggestion that the administration was preparing to challenge an election result, telling her, “That is crazy!”
Trump and fellow Republicans have argued that an unaffiliated candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan could confuse voters and draw support away from the incumbent. Trump said he directed the DOJ to sue over Alaska’s Senate election.
The case was filed Thursday, fewer than two weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict Trump in impeachment proceedings related to the Jan. 6 riot, said the DOJ “should never have filed this lawsuit.”
The Independent said the Alaska dispute recalls doubts Trump raised before his 2020 election loss. The outlet also reported that Trump continues to claim the result was rigged, a claim it described as baseless.
