WASHINGTON – Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s effort to prevent certification of Alaska’s Senate election results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is defeated, saying the lawsuit was filed to prevent voter confusion in a closely watched midterm contest.
President Donald Trump, who said Friday that he was “the one that said do it,” is not seeking to overturn Alaska’s election results “in any way, shape or form” just days before the Nov. 3 election, Blanche said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We wish that we didn’t have to do this,” Blanche said. “We hope for a resolution that works.”
Republicans are concerned that another candidate named Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher and school administrator from the small fishing town of Petersburg, could draw votes away from the incumbent senator. They say that split could help Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, win the race.
Peltola denounced the lawsuit the day after it was filed Thursday, calling it “just flagrant, flagrant corruption in my opinion” and accusing Republicans of using it as a distraction. Alaska’s other Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, likewise criticized the legal action in a social media post.
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Before Trump appointed him to lead the Justice Department, which brought the lawsuit in Alaska, Blanche served as the president’s personal attorney. He also represented Trump in his election interference case, a prosecution that effectively ended after voters returned Trump to the White House for a second term.
During an interview with CNN host Dana Bash, Blanche called it “crazy” to suggest that Trump was laying the groundwork for election challenges similar to those that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
“We are not doing anything improper. We’re not doing anything we’re allowed to do. And we have to let the process play out,” Blanche said. “But I do think it’s important for the American people to understand that we are not — and President Trump is not — trying to take over a state election in any way, shape or form.”
On the ballot, Alaska voters will see “Dan S. Sullivan” listed as a “registered Republican” and “incumbent.” The other candidate, “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.,” will appear without a party affiliation.
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