Blanche: DOJ could block election certification in ‘doomsday scenario’
Todd Blanche's answer is careful enough that both camps can quote it back at him. He didn't say the Justice Department would block a state's certification, just that it could in some hypothetical scenario. That's a big door to leave ajar, and it's worth asking what legal authority he thinks the DOJ actually has to step into a state's vote-counting process.
The midterms are far off, but this kind of talk lands in a real political environment. Supporters of federal oversight will hear a necessary backstop against local irregularities, while critics will hear a threat to the traditional state control of elections. Both readings are plausible, which is exactly why the vagueness matters.
I'd want the follow-up question to be about specifics. What scenario does he mean, and under which statute? Until he names one, the statement does more to feed speculation than to clarify policy.