Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday left open the chance that the Justice Department could try to block states from certifying midterm votes, according to NBC News, Fox News and The Hill.

He spoke to reporters in Norfolk, Virginia, NBC News reported. Asked whether he could rule out action that might delay the counting of ballots, he said there could be a "doomsday" scenario, NBC News reported.

"Yes, of course there's scenarios that we can all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario for example, right?" Blanche said, according to The Hill.

He also said the department does not plan to step in. "It is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process," he said, according to NBC News. "But am I planning my days around the election to be somewhere to not certify? Of course not," he said, according to NBC News and The Hill.

Blanche said the department was "not trying to create chaos," NBC News reported. "What we're trying to do is guarantee to the American people that the only people that are voting are people that are eligible to vote," he said.

The department's role in elections is limited by law, NBC News reported. State and local officials run elections and certify results, it said. No US law says the department can challenge ballots or delay certification, according to NBC News.

The remarks came amid the administration's push on voting by noncitizens, NBC News reported. Election experts say such voting is rare. The department sued California last week over voters it says may be noncitizens, NBC News and The Hill reported. Blanche said earlier this month that the department plans to send 1,000 election monitors to polling places in every state, The Hill reported.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Democrats "have been preparing for this for months," NBC News and Fox News reported. "Our elections must always belong to the voters — not Donald Trump," Schumer posted on X, according to NBC News.

What we know: Blanche declined to rule out DOJ action on certification but said it is not the plan.
What we don't: What, if anything, the department would do after Election Day.