” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/videothumbnails/39331040-08937571-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/videothumbnail/39331040-08937571-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”“data-byline-html=”
“data-timestamp-html=”
” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2026-10-25T14:05:37.717Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/blanche-midterms-sotu” data-branding-key=”” data-video-slug=”blanche-midterms-sotu” data-first-publish-slug=”blanche-midterms-sotu” data-video-tags=”sotu” data-breakpoints=”{” video-resource–media-extra-large”:=”” 660}”=”” data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details=”” wp_automatic_readability=”5.9671532846715″>
Dana Bash is pressuring Attorney General Todd Blanche for the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block the Alaska Senate results if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses. “There might be a crime, but the real issue here is that Alaskans are going to be confused and not make their vote heard,” Blanche said.
” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2026-10-25T14:05:37.717Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/blanche-midterms-sotu” data-branding-key=”” data-video-slug=”blanche-midterms-sotu” data-first-publish-slug=”blanche-midterms-sotu” data-video-tags=”sotu” data-media-metadata=”{“adKeyValuePairs”:{“spec”:”default”},”boltId”:”f55a4203-b106-55bf-b5e4-6292838cacf3″,”branding”:”default”,”cepFedSegs”:”wbd:508,wbd:15HT,wbd:15HV,wb d:16BC,wbd:G33Z,wbd:CCP7Z,wbd:L47,wbd:7Q8,wbd:BHB,wbd:F8T,wbd:CGFKZ,wbd:BPP,wbd:5GB,w base body: FBL, body body: CGFMZ, body body: BLX, body body: BGT, body body: BLL, body body: body: BLH, body of body: KKV, body of body: CGFDZ, body of body: 91Y, body of body: 5G1, body of body: 2X7F, body: DHS, body: DJ9, body: DHX, body: 7WN, body: DHT, body: DJF”,”cepParams”:”508=cep_tags&15HT =cep_iabt&15HV=cep_iabt&16BC=cep_sent&G33Z=cep_tags&CCP7Z=cep_tags&L47=cep_tags&7Q8=c ep_tags&BHB=cep_tags&F8T=cep_tags&CGFKZ=cep_tags&BPP=cep_tags&5GB=cep_tags&FBL=cep_ta gs&CGFMZ=cep_tags&BLX=cep_tags&BGT=cep_tags&BLL=cep_tags&BLH=cep_tags&KKV=cep_tags&CGF DZ=cep_tags&91Y=cep_tags&5G1=cep_tags&2X7F=cep_tags&DHS=cep_tags&DJ9=cep_tags&DHX=cep _tags&7WN=cep_tags&DHT=cep_tags&DJF=cep_tags”,”cepTopics”:{“508″:”cep_tags”,”15HT”:”c ep_iabt”,”15HV”:”cep_iabt”,”16BC”:”cep_sent”,”G33Z”:”cep_tags”,”CCP7Z”:”cep_tags”,”L47″:”cep_tags”,”7Q8″:”cep_tags”,”BHB”:”cep_tags”,”F8T”:”cep_tags”,”CGFKZ”:”cep_tags”,”B ” ,”91Y”: “cep_tags”, “5G1”: “cep_tags”, “2X7F”: “cep_tags”, “DHS”: “cep_tags”, “DJ9”: “cep_tags”, “DHX”: “cep_tags”, “7WN”: “cep_tags”, “DHT”: “cep_tags”, “DJF”: “cep_tags”}, “description”:
Dana Bash is pressuring Attorney General Todd Blanche for the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block the Alaska Senate results if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses. “There might be a crime, but the real problem here is that Alaskans are going to be confused and not have their vote heard,” Blanche says.
“,”firstPublishSlug”:”blanche-midterms-sotu”,”headline”:”‘What is the crime?’ : Bash pressures Blanche over Alaska election lawsuit”,”id”:”me7feb5606f297919104875d80a0d928b6578ed42a”,”isAdSensitive”:false,”mediumId”:”me7f eb5606f297919104875d80a0d928b6578ed42a”,”sectionName”:”politics”,”source”:”CNN”,”stellarId”:”L19jb 21wb25lbnRzL3ZpZGVvLXJlc291cmNlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXZud2dnODAwMDAwMzU2dnM2ZmFnYm8y”,”trt”:”1088.421″ ,”videoTags”:(),”videoUrl”:”https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/blanche-midterms-sotu”}” class=”video-resource”>
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″/>“What is the crime?” »: Bash presses Blanche on Alaska election trial
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1080″ width=”1920″ loading=’lazy’/>Attorney General Todd Blanche forcefully denied this morning that the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeks to block the certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, with President Donald Trump setting the stage to potentially overturn the election results.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Blanche said the lawsuit was filed preemptively to preserve ballots and allow a court to further investigate “if it’s clear there was confusion” in the state Senate election, which features a candidate whose name is also Dan Sullivan, but with a different initial.
Blanche said last week that he did not intend to get involved in the midterm election certification process, but was leaving room for a possible “doomsday scenario” that would require action from the Justice Department.
On Sunday, Blanche reacted when CNN’s Dana Bash asked her whether a possible challenge to the election results could lead to a scenario — similar to the one that led to the January 6, 2021, insurrection — in which the president refuses to accept the outcome of the midterm elections.
“You asked me this question: Because the Justice Department is worried about absolute fraud in Alaska and they want to do something about it, you say, ‘Mr. Attorney General, because the President of the United States wants to end fraud and confusion in Alaska, is he going to do something crazy?’ That’s not a real question,” Blanche said.
He added: “What I said is the groundwork we’re laying is for Alaska, because the State of Alaska, if this becomes an issue after the election, will have the ability to determine whether there has been a confusion that violates the law in determining who the senator should be. It’s not Donald J. Trump. It’s not our president.”
Last week, Trump took credit for the legal challenge.
“Well, I was the one who said ‘do it,'” Trump told reporters in Florida on Friday when asked about the lawsuit.
Blanche would not say whether Trump directly ordered her to take legal action, saying he does not publicly discuss her communications with the president. But he defended Trump’s questioning of the Alaska vote, which Trump said amounted to “cheating” by Democrats.
“He doesn’t admit it’s political,” Blanche said. “He’s the executive. He’s supposed to make sure everything goes well in this country, including elections.”
