Officials Prepare for Election Crisis Scenario Under Trump DOJ
WHO:
AlterNet - An unnamed intelligence official who served in Trump’s first administration said, “Nobody knows what the president might do if the midterms don’t go his way.”
AlterNet - The official raised the possibility that Trump could sign a classified emergency order or invoke a continuity-of-government argument.
Alternet - National security reporter Ken Klippenstein reported accounts from three officials with knowledge of Justice Department discussions.
Ken Klippenstein | Substack - Three officials with knowledge of the talks told Klippenstein about Justice Department contingency planning; national security officials said public hints reflected active discussions.
Alternet - Attorney General Todd Blanche was reported to be planning lawsuits, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said normal operations would continue “absent some shocking contingency that is unexpected.”
Alternet - A government lawyer said there is no general presidential or attorney-general power to suspend elections or veto a state’s results merely by alleging fraud.
Alternet - The article named Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas (D), and former FBI Director James Comey in connection with DOJ actions.
WHAT:
AlterNet - The intelligence official said pressure on officials, unsupported litigation, or unlawful executive orders could provoke a riot like January 6.
AlterNet - A federal judge fast-tracked the Alaska lawsuit over two candidates named Dan Sullivan; the lawsuit could be dismissed later that week.
AlterNet - The lawsuit argued Alaska should delay certifying results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola by a margin no greater than the votes received by the other Dan Sullivan.
Alternet - The Justice Department is preparing contingency scenarios for possible federal intervention in elections, described by sources as “improbable but not impossible.”
Ken Klippenstein | Substack - The plans address disputed election outcomes involving alleged foreign interference, claims that noncitizens voted, or polling-place chaos.
Alternet - Blanche acknowledged that the department could seek to block a state from certifying results. He told reporters, “Yes, of course there’s scenarios that we could all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario, for example, right?”
Alternet - The article reported DOJ efforts involving an attempted removal of 20,000 California voters from voter rolls, a planned Alaska lawsuit, an effort to indict Cook, an FBI raid at Omar’s Washington residence, the indictment of Lucas, and a third attempt to indict Comey.
WHERE:
Alternet - The reported voter-roll effort concerned California; a lawsuit concerned Alaska; and the FBI raid was at Omar’s Washington residence.
WHEN:
Alternet - Trump referred to possible federal election controls in February; the article also said he met with state governors a few weeks after that interview.
Ken Klippenstein | Substack - The article described the midterm elections as occurring “next week.”
WHY:
AlterNet - The Alaska lawsuit argued voters might confuse the incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan with a third-party candidate who shares his name.
AlterNet - Joe Perticone of The Bulwark said Democrats built infrastructure to track and respond to election disputes after January 6 and efforts to disrupt certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 win.
Alternet - Potential triggers discussed included foreign interference, allegations of noncitizen voting, polling-place chaos, and disputes over whether elections were conducted honestly and properly.
HOW:
Alternet - The article said the attorney general may seek a temporary restraining order or injunction when a legal violation has occurred or there are reasonable grounds to believe one is imminent; DOJ could also ask a court to delay finalizing an election.
Alternet - A government lawyer said intervention would require identifying a statutory violation, presenting supporting evidence, and justifying the requested remedy; the lawyer said, “There is no law covering a federal government takeover.”
Alternet - Trump said, “If we need to put in federal controls as opposed to state controls,” and added that if elections could not be conducted “honestly” and “properly and timely,” “something else has to happen.”
(UPDATED October 28, 2026 00:10 UTC)
The Justice Department is reportedly preparing contingency plans for possible federal intervention in disputed elections, with Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledging it could seek to block a state from certifying results. The scenarios could involve claims of foreign interference, noncitizen voting, or polling-place chaos, but a government lawyer said intervention would require evidence of a legal violation and that there is no general power to take over elections or suspend them. An unnamed former Trump administration intelligence official warned that pressure on officials, unsupported lawsuits, or unlawful orders could spark unrest, while Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said normal operations would continue absent an unexpected crisis.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 13:26 UTC)
The Justice Department is preparing contingency plans for possible federal intervention in elections, which officials described as improbable but not impossible, if disputes arise over alleged foreign interference, noncitizen voting, or polling-place chaos. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department could hypothetically seek to block a state from certifying results, while a government lawyer said intervention would require evidence of a legal violation and that there is no general power to take over elections or suspend them. The reported planning comes amid other DOJ actions involving voter rolls in California, a planned lawsuit in Alaska, and investigations or prosecutions involving Lisa Cook, Ilhan Omar, Louise Lucas, and James Comey.