Blanche defends Trump after the supreme court blocked his executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting, telling reporters the decision will not affect ongoing criminal inquiries into illegal voting.
Blanche defends Trump
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the ruling handed down yesterday does not change the status of “ongoing criminal investigations into illegal voting,” and that efforts to protect election integrity will continue beyond November. He added that the work to ensure free and fair elections “is not going to stop just in November or after or thereafter,” according to his remarks to reporters.
Blanche also backed President Donald Trump’s public criticism of the justices who voted to block the order. He described Trump as “very frustrated” and said the president has a right to air concerns about the court. “He has every right, and indeed he should communicate his concerns with the supreme court whenever he has them,” Blanche said, adding that it would not be the first or last time the president voices such frustrations.
Position on AI guardrails and election projections
Addressing separate questions about the push for additional guardrails on artificial intelligence, Blanche said it is not the Justice Department’s role to regulate technology. “We’re prosecutors, not regulators, so we’re not going to try to regulate AI,” he told reporters in the Rose Garden. He aligned himself with Trump’s view that recent calls to slow AI development are misplaced, characterizing the timing of the political focus on AI as an effort to influence the midterms.
Trump blasts court over mail voting order
Trump earlier denounced the supreme court decision that halted his bid to curb mail-in voting, calling the method vulnerable to fraud, a claim he has repeated without evidence. Only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the decision. In posts on social media, Trump criticized members of the court, including some of his own nominees, and argued the ruling would harm the country. He has also repeatedly questioned the security of election systems despite assurances from federal and state officials.