Attorney General Todd Blanche told a national television audience Sunday that a "ton of evidence" exists that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump, but minutes later backtracked when pressed on whether his Justice Department could prove it, saying he "can't promise a definitive answer."
The contradictory statements, made during an interview on Fox Business with host Maria Bartiromo, underscore the awkward position the Justice Department finds itself in nearly five years after the 2020 election—caught between political pressure to validate the former and current president's claims and the absence of evidence that courts and election officials across the country have repeatedly said doesn't exist.
"We've had this evidence for many, many years," Blanche claimed, citing ongoing DOJ investigations in Arizona and Fulton County, Georgia focused on voter eligibility and ballot integrity. But when asked if Americans would get a definitive answer about whether the election was stolen, the attorney general hedged: "I'm not going to promise there's going to be a definitive answer."
The attorney general suggested potential outcomes could include "charges" or "a report" rather than the conclusive proof that would upend Joe Biden's 2020 victory and Trump's subsequent defeat. No credible evidence of widespread fraud has emerged in more than four years of investigations, audits, and court cases.
Blanche's hedging represents a notable shift from earlier administration promises. In April, FBI Director Kash Patel told the same Fox Business host that arrests were "coming soon" in election fraud cases. Two months later, those arrests have not materialized, and the attorney general is now walking back expectations.
