Attorney General Todd Blanche and Sen. Thom Tillis speak on election integrity and party perception on Face the Nation
Blanche affirmed DOJ neutrality while Tillis acknowledged voter concerns about corruption, linking both remarks to the looming midterm elections.
By Felo News Desk · Published
On Oct. 25, 2026, Attorney General Todd Blanche and Republican Senator Thom Tillis were interviewed on CBS’s Face the Nation with host Margaret Brennan, each addressing election‑related issues as the midterm campaign entered its final week.
What happened
During the broadcast, former President Donald Trump’s pre‑recorded statement warned that his party would "crush the radical left Democrats" and win both chambers of Congress. The program then moved to live interviews. Blanche, speaking at 12:06 p.m. EDT, was asked about a comment made by 60 Minutes contributor Harmeet Dhillon that, absent a "shocking contingency," election counting should proceed without interruption. Blanche replied that, "yes, of course," adding that the Department of Justice would only become involved if facts and law required it, and that the agency did not want to be drawn into elections. Tillis, interviewed at 12:34 p.m. EDT, responded to a CBS poll showing 83 % of voters view corruption as a major factor, especially for Republicans. He said the party must be transparent about its record and cited an example of an oligarch paying for the president’s son’s wedding, noting the donor’s ties to Putin and trips to Beijing.
What the reports add
Source 1 provides the full transcript of the broadcast, including the Trump and Barack Obama clips that framed the episode. Source 2 focuses on Blanche’s remarks, highlighting his reference to Dhillon’s 60 Minutes interview and his conditional stance on DOJ involvement. Source 3 records Tillis’s comments on voter concerns and the specific oligarch example, which is not mentioned in the other two sources.
What was said
"We're going to crush the radical left Democrats all across the country. We're going to win the Republican House and we're going to win the Republican Senate," said former President Donald Trump in a pre‑recorded segment, reported by CBS News.
"Well, yes, of course. Absent‑absent some facts that require us to do otherwise, there's President Trump, the Department of Justice‑ we don't want to have to get a law involved in elections, of course not. But that doesn't mean that at times any Justice Department doesn't do that and shouldn't do that if the facts and the law require it," Attorney General Todd Blanche told Margaret Brennan, according to CBS News.
"Well, I think a part of what we have to do is be open about what we've done right and where we've kind of skated into the gray area. I'll give you a good example… you can't have an oligarch pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for the president's son's wedding and not make it look odd, particularly when that oligarch is aligned with Putin and has gone on delegations with Putin to Beijing," Senator Thom Tillis said, as reported by CBS News.
How it came about
Blanche’s appearance follows earlier scrutiny of his political rallies, which Felo News covered on Sep. 18, noting concerns that his speeches at GOP events could blur the line between Justice Department duties and partisan activity. Tillis’s remarks echo ongoing Republican efforts to address voter‑perceived corruption, a theme also raised in Felo’s Oct. 18 article on GOP criticism of a sanctions waiver for Russia.
Key facts
- Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ would only intervene in elections if facts and law required it. (cbsnews.com)
- Sen. Thom Tillis cited an oligarch’s payment for the president’s son’s wedding as an example of perceived Republican corruption. (cbsnews.com)
- Former President Donald Trump warned his party would crush Democrats and win both chambers in a pre‑recorded statement. (cbsnews.com)
Sources
- [1] cbsnews.com
- [2] cbsnews.com
- [3] cbsnews.com
