Attorney General Confronts CNN Over Partial Presentation of Elections Clause

Attorney General Todd Blanche engaged in a heated exchange with CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday during ‘State of the Union.’ The discussion revolved around a Justice Department lawsuit related to two Senate candidates with similar names in Alaska. Blanche critiqued CNN for not showing the entire Elections Clause from the Constitution.

Bash referenced a ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court that allowed Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to remain on the ballot. Sullivan Jr. shares his name with incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, which has caused confusion. Blanche urged CNN to display the remaining part of the constitutional provision that gives Congress the authority to regulate congressional elections.

“Conveniently, you put up the Constitution on your screen, but you highlighted only the first clause. Why don’t you show the next clause to your viewers, which says that Congress is allowed to pass laws to make sure that that happens? Put that back up there,” Blanche said.

The exchange focused on Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution. This section grants state legislatures the authority to determine congressional election procedures but allows Congress to make changes.

Blanche noted that the second part of the clause supports federal intervention as permitted by federal statutes. “The second clause says that the Congress may at any time by law, and we have a law, and that’s the law that we’re relying on when we filed suit earlier this week,” Blanche explained.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit is based on the National Voter Registration Act, arguing that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy aims to confuse voters. This confusion could undermine the integrity of the election. The lawsuit asks the court to hold off on election certification if Sullivan Jr.’s presence on the ballot affects the election results.

The DOJ accused Sullivan Jr. of trying to mislead voters by using a similar name to the incumbent’s. Blanche defended this point, claiming it could impact the election outcome.

Media Research Center President David Bozell criticized Bash’s partial presentation of the constitutional text. He stated that providing only part of the provision is misleading. “An anchor who hands viewers half a provision on election integrity is running a magic act, and the trick fell apart on live television,” Bozell said.

The lawsuit follows a June decision by the Alaska Supreme Court allowing Sullivan Jr. to remain on the ballot. The court left decisions regarding his name’s appearance to the state’s Division of Elections. The complaint noted Sullivan Jr. planned to run as a Republican to mislead voters loyal to Senator Sullivan.

Republicans have accused Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, of trying to draw votes away from the incumbent senator. However, Sullivan Jr. has denied these accusations, asserting his candidacy’s legitimacy.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue during an event in Florida, revealing that he encouraged the Justice Department to take legal action. “I’m the one that said, do it,” Trump remarked.

The federal challenge has faced opposition from voting rights groups and Mary Peltola’s Democratic campaign. Both have filed motions to intervene. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that the National Voter Registration Act does not authorize blocking election certification based on candidate placement.

CJ Womack, associate editor at Fox News, has been covering this story. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism from Long Beach State University. Tips can be sent to [email protected].