Blanche says DOJ could scrutinize individual Alaska ballots as probe targets Democrats

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the Justice Department could scrutinize individual ballots in Alaska if the midterm results suggest voter confusion affected Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan's reelection bid ¹. Asked on Fox News what would trigger further DOJ action, Blanche pointed to Alaska's ranked-choice voting system and described a scenario in which Sullivan loses but ballots raise questions about whether voters meant to support him rather than Dan J. Sullivan, an undeclared candidate and retired teacher who shares the incumbent's name ¹.

Blanche told Fox News' Martha MacCallum that authorities could potentially "look at the individual ballots" to determine whether there was evidence of voter confusion ¹. He also said: "If it's clear that voters were confused, and again, that's why you need to preserve these ballots" ¹.

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The comments came as the department's scrutiny of the Alaska race intensified. The DOJ has sent letters to about 20 Democrats, including election lawyer Marc Elias, informing them they may be targets of a criminal investigation into how Dan J. Sullivan ended up on the ballot, according to reports ¹. The New York Times first reported last Tuesday that the DOJ sent target letters to Democrats as part of its investigation into the race ¹. NBC News reported that the correspondence included target letters and requests that third parties preserve records ¹. A target letter does not mean the recipient has been charged or necessarily will be charged ¹. The investigation reportedly concerns potential donor fraud and conspiracy ¹.

The Guardian reported that a federal grand jury in Alaska is investigating potential conspiracy and donor fraud, according to the New York Times and ABC News ². It is not clear how many people received the target letters ². The Guardian also reported that the decision to send the letters is very unusual, noting the Justice Department has long avoided actions that could affect an election close to election day and that it is not common to send target letters so early in an investigation ².

From Channel GOPBash asks Blanche: Is your job helping Republicans?Todd Blanche · 223 plays · captioned, with the source named

Elias said the Justice Department had "zero evidence of wrongdoing" ². In a statement, he said: "No one should be surprised that President Trump's Department of Justice is targeting me and my law firm on Election Day. This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President's political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets" ². A Justice Department spokesperson said: "The Department cannot discuss ongoing investigations" ². The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not return a request for comment ².

The Guardian reported that the investigation accelerated after a New York Times story revealing that allies of Democrat Mary Peltola were behind an effort to get someone with the same name as the incumbent senator on the ballot to confuse voters ². Peltola and her campaign denied any involvement, but the Times reported that lawyers for the campaign and the DSCC were involved in the effort ². The Times reported that Elias's law firm was involved ². Peltola was leading Sullivan in the latest poll of the race, but by a narrower margin than earlier this month ¹.

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That matters because the attorney general is now publicly describing how disputed ballots could face further scrutiny, a direct test of whether federal law enforcement will be used to contest an election result. The pattern is an escalation: target letters went out before the election, and now the attorney general is discussing examining individual ballots.

The Record

1. Oct 27, 2026The New York Times first reported that the DOJ sent target letters to Democrats as part of its investigation into the Alaska race ¹.
2. Nov 3, 2026Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Fox News that the DOJ could scrutinize individual ballots in Alaska if voter confusion affected Sen. Dan Sullivan's reelection bid ¹.
3. Nov 3, 2026The Guardian reported that the Justice Department sent letters to a top Democratic election lawyer and other Democrats informing them they could be targets in a federal investigation ².

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<h2>Blanche says DOJ could scrutinize individual Alaska ballots as probe targets Democrats</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/blanche-says-doj-could-scrutinize-individual-alaska-ballots-as-probe-targets-democrats">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.</em></p> <p>Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the Justice Department could scrutinize individual ballots in Alaska if the midterm results suggest voter confusion affected Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan&#39;s reelection bid . Asked on Fox News what would trigger further DOJ action, Blanche pointed to Alaska&#39;s ranked-choice voting system and described a scenario in which Sullivan loses but ballots raise questions about whether voters meant to support him rather than Dan J. Sullivan, an undeclared candidate and retired teacher who shares the incumbent&#39;s name .</p> <p>Blanche told Fox News&#39; Martha MacCallum that authorities could potentially &quot;look at the individual ballots&quot; to determine whether there was evidence of voter confusion . He also said: &quot;If it&#39;s clear that voters were confused, and again, that&#39;s why you need to preserve these ballots&quot; .</p> <p>The comments came as the department&#39;s scrutiny of the Alaska race intensified. The DOJ has sent letters to about 20 Democrats, including election lawyer Marc Elias, informing them they may be targets of a criminal investigation into how Dan J. Sullivan ended up on the ballot, according to reports . The New York Times first reported last Tuesday that the DOJ sent target letters to Democrats as part of its investigation into the race . NBC News reported that the correspondence included target letters and requests that third parties preserve records . A target letter does not mean the recipient has been charged or necessarily will be charged . The investigation reportedly concerns potential donor fraud and conspiracy .</p> <p>The Guardian reported that a federal grand jury in Alaska is investigating potential conspiracy and donor fraud, according to the New York Times and ABC News . It is not clear how many people received the target letters . The Guardian also reported that the decision to send the letters is very unusual, noting the Justice Department has long avoided actions that could affect an election close to election day and that it is not common to send target letters so early in an investigation .</p> <p>Elias said the Justice Department had &quot;zero evidence of wrongdoing&quot; . In a statement, he said: &quot;No one should be surprised that President Trump&#39;s Department of Justice is targeting me and my law firm on Election Day. This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President&#39;s political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets&quot; . A Justice Department spokesperson said: &quot;The Department cannot discuss ongoing investigations&quot; . The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not return a request for comment .</p> <p>The Guardian reported that the investigation accelerated after a New York Times story revealing that allies of Democrat Mary Peltola were behind an effort to get someone with the same name as the incumbent senator on the ballot to confuse voters . Peltola and her campaign denied any involvement, but the Times reported that lawyers for the campaign and the DSCC were involved in the effort . The Times reported that Elias&#39;s law firm was involved . Peltola was leading Sullivan in the latest poll of the race, but by a narrower margin than earlier this month .</p> <p>That matters because the attorney general is now publicly describing how disputed ballots could face further scrutiny, a direct test of whether federal law enforcement will be used to contest an election result. The pattern is an escalation: target letters went out before the election, and now the attorney general is discussing examining individual ballots.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/blanche-says-doj-could-scrutinize-individual-alaska-ballots-as-probe-targets-democrats">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/blanche-says-doj-could-scrutinize-individual-alaska-ballots-as-probe-targets-democrats.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Todd Blanche Responds to Alaska Scenarios as Trump DOJ Sends Target Letters” (2026-11-03). newsweek.com/todd-blanche-alaska-ballots-doj-target-letters-
2. The Guardian, “DoJ tells Democrats in letters they could be targets of Alaska ballot investigation” (2026-11-03). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/doj-democrats-alaska-dan

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