Blanche sidesteps questions on federal agents at election sites

Acting Attorney General https://www.axios.com/2026/06/04/trump-nominate-todd-blanche-attorney-general" target="_blank">Todd Blanche declined Wednesday to explicitly rule out deploying federal agents to polling places, saying only that he would "follow the law."

Why it matters: Lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's use of federal agents near polling places are setting up a legal fight over whether those deployments violate federal protections against https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/06/16/fbi-raid-voter-id-ohio" target="_blank">voter intimidation.

What they're saying: When Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked whether Blanche would "commit to following clear federal law" by not deploying armed federal agents to polling places, Blanche replied that he would "commit to following the law … no matter what it includes."

• Klobuchar also asked if he understood why federal agents are a concern to voters, as some advocacy groups say it's a form of voter intimidation.
• "I'm not aware of armed agents being at polling places, so I don't.

  I'm not aware of that concern, but I will tell you we will follow the law."

Context: Federal law generally https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/592" target="_blank">prohibits "troops or armed men" from being deployed to polling places, except in narrow circumstances, such as repelling "armed enemies" of the U.S.

Driving the news: In response to an FOIA request, U.S. Customs and Border Protection https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72384565/democratic-national-committee-v-us-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc#minute-entry-470604838" target="_blank">denied it had any documents related to ICE deployments at polling places.

• The agency later reversed course after the plaintiff pointed to agents deployed outside active voting sites in both Texas and California.
• A federal judge then https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72384565/democratic-national-committee-v-us-department-of-justice/?order_by=desc#minute-entry-470604838" target="_blank">ordered CBP to begin processing any documents relating to potential ICE deployments at polling locations on Monday.

Between the lines: Multiple administration officials have also declined to explicitly rule out ICE presence near polling places, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

• Mullin https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-dhs-pick-wont-rule-out-ice-at-polls/" target="_blank">said ICE wouldn't be present for "intimidation" purposes, but could be present if a "specific threat" arises.

  He said he was unable to predict what kind of threat might warrant ICE presence.

• Leavitt https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/white-house-cant-guarantee-ice-wont-be-at-polls/" target="_blank">said in February that she couldn't "guarantee that an ICE agent won't be around a polling location in November," but noted the president wasn't considering such a proposal.
• DHS and DOJ did not immediately respond to Axios' Wednesday afternoon requests for comment.

Flashback: Blanche https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/deputy-attorney-general-blanche-ice-agents-polling-places/" target="_blank">told attendees at CPAC earlier this year that Americans shouldn't have objections to ICE at polling places.

• "Why is there objection to sending ICE officers to polling places?" Blanche asked. "Illegals can't vote.

  It doesn't make any sense."

Zoom out: There is https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/four-things-to-know-about-noncitizen-voting/" target="_blank">no evidence that undocumented immigrants have illegally voted in U.S. elections in numbers large enough to sway the outcome.

• Voting rights groups say federal agents at polls can https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/sending-ice-polling-places-illegal" target="_blank">intimidate voters, causing some Americans to feel unsafe and chilling voter turnout.
• Multiple federal statutes https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2024/08/Voter-Intimidation-Fact-Sheet.pdf" target="_blank">prohibit voter intimidation, making it illegal to intimidate, threaten, or coerce a person with the intent of "interfering" with that person's right to vote.

Go deeper: https://www.axios.com/2026/06/13/ice-voter-files-texas-north-carolina" target="_blank">Exclusive: ICE obtains local voter files in Texas and North Carolina