‘Oh, Stop It!’: Todd Blanche Cuts Off Dana Bash’s Speculating How Trump’s Alaska Election Lawsuit Could Lead To Another Jan 6

Attorney General Todd Blanche snapped Sunday at CNN anchor Dana Bash after she suggested the Trump administration’s election lawsuit in Alaska could lay the groundwork for another confrontation resembling the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The heated exchange unfolded during a “State of the Union” interview as Bash pressed Blanche over the Justice Department’s decision to sue Alaska ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections. The lawsuit centers on concerns that two Senate candidates sharing nearly identical names could confuse voters, potentially affecting the outcome of a closely watched race which could tip the balance of power in the upper legislative chamber.

“et’s just talk turkey,” Bash said, before raising the possibility of a scenario in which President Donald Trump attempts to overturn an election result he disputes, “because one of the big questions is whether or not the president is laying the groundwork for a scenario where — whether it’s Alaska or somewhere else — there is, in your words a couple of days ago, a ‘doomsday scenario,’ and we could be in a situation where President Trump tries to overturn the election, and the result of that could be, God forbid, what we saw after Jan. 6. That is one of the fundamental questions—”

“I mean— Oh, stop it!” Blanche cut in. “Oh, you got to stop it with that. You are not being a real person. Come on, man.”

“No,” Bash responded during their crosstalk. “Why are you yelling at me?”

Blanche argued that the administration was responding to allegations of voter confusion in Alaska, rather than preparing to challenge election results nationwide.

“That is crazy,” Blanche continued.

“It is not crazy,” Bash replied, adding after Blanche started to answer, “I would have said that ‘before Jan. 6.'”

“You asked a question. Let me answer it,” the attorney general responded. “Hold on. You set me up. You set me up with the following question: because the president, because the Department of Justice is concerned that there is an absolute fraud happening in Alaska and he wants to do something about it, you’re saying, ‘Mr. Attorney General, because the president of the United States wants to stop a fraud and confusion is he going to do something crazy?’ That is not a real question.”

“This is a president that has a history,” Bash pushed back during the crosstalk. “I wish it wasn’t .”

“Well, if you’re in luck then, because it’s not. It’s not,” Blanche replied. “We’re not laying any ‘groundwork’ for the president to do that, so your premise, your question, is not true!”

“What I said — and so you have to listen to what I say, or it’s not a fair conversation — what I said is, the groundwork that we are laying is for Alaska,” he added. “he state of Alaska, if it becomes an issue after the election, will have the ability to determine whether there was confusion that violates the law in determining who the senator should be. That is not Donald J. Trump. That is not our president.”

“And so we are not doing anything improper,” Blanche later concluded. “We’re not doing anything we’re not allowed to do. And we have to let the process play out. But I do think it’s important for the American people to understand that we are not, President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form. What we’re trying to do is make it clear that if it is obvious after the election that confusion led to an improper and illegal result, that the Alaskan system should be able to address that.”

The Justice Department filed its lawsuit Thursday over the presence of a “Daniel J. Sullivan” on the Alaska ballot alongside incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan in facing former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.

The DOJ’s complaint argues that the similarities between the two candidates’ names could mislead voters intending to support the incumbent senator. It asks a federal court to prevent Alaska from certifying a potentially affected election result pending an investigation into whether votes intended for the incumbent were mistakenly cast for the other Sullivan.

Trump acknowledged Friday he had directed the Justice Department to pursue the litigation, according to ABC News.

Bash questioned whether that admission indicated the lawsuit was politically motivated, and asked Blanche whether he viewed his position as helping Republicans retain the Senate seat.

Blanche rejected that characterization, arguing that the president has a responsibility to address potential irregularities in federal elections.

The attorney general also clarified the department’s position Saturday, rejecting suggestions that the administration intended to interfere with voting or prevent Alaska from certifying its election.

“The Department of Justice does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or to stop the certification of Alaska’s election,” Blanche wrote on X. He also maintained that the litigation was intended to preserve election materials and allow Alaska officials to determine whether voters had been misled, adding that Justice Department attorneys prepared the lawsuit without coordinating with any candidate or campaign.

The complaint nevertheless explicitly requests a federal judge block certification under certain circumstances, a provision which has drawn criticism from election-law advocates.

The American Civil Liberties Union notably challenged the lawsuit, arguing that the federal government lacks legal authority to intervene in Alaska’s election certification process under the National Voter Registration Act.

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