Harmeet Dhillon said ongoing court challenges to election-related regulations are creating uncertainty as states approach deadlines for sending ballots ahead of the midterm elections.
During an exchange with Newsmax host Carl Higbie, Dhillon argued that the regulations being defended by the Justice Department are lawful and necessary, while accusing judges blocking Trump administration priorities of engaging in what she described as “lawfare.”
“I think it’s clear and we’re taking this position that it’s very clear that these regulations are legal, constitutional, necessary, and this judge keeps trying to block it, and she’s not the only one,” Dhillon said.
She said the election disputes are part of a wider series of legal challenges facing the administration.
“So we’re facing this kind of lawfare from the courts around the country on many of our important Trump administration priorities, and something that we deal with every day at the DOJ,” Dhillon said.
Higbie focused on the approaching election calendar, noting that some mail ballots will soon have to be sent to voters.
“100%, but I mean we’re talking about some of these mail-in ballots go in the mail like next week,” Higbie said.
Dhillon agreed that the timing has made resolving the court disputes more urgent.
She said officials have attempted to move quickly to put the regulations in place but have faced delays as litigation continues.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Dhillon said.
“That’s why we’ve tried to move expeditiously to get these regulations in place, and if we didn’t have these types of delays, we could have a lot more certainty around our elections all over the country.”
Dhillon pointed specifically to Missouri, where she said the state Supreme Court issued an injunction the previous week as election officials approached the point when voting would begin and ballots would be mailed.
“We just had in Missouri a Missouri Supreme Court do an injunction last week, and again there they’re about to start voting and get the ballots in the mail,” Dhillon said.
The timing is particularly important for military ballots, according to Dhillon, because those ballots are sent before regular ballots.
She argued that last-minute court action creates uncertainty as election deadlines approach.
“Our military ballots go out before the regular ballots go out, and so I think this type of a chaos is really intentional to try to prevent things from happening by the midterms,” Dhillon said.
Dhillon’s characterization of the delays as intentional reflected her view of the litigation.
The exchange did not include a response from the judges or parties responsible for bringing the court challenges.
Dhillon said the Justice Department continues working through the litigation as the election approaches, describing the effort as an ongoing struggle involving multiple parts of the department.
“And so it’s it’s just a constant struggle,” Dhillon said.
She specifically praised attorneys in the Solicitor General’s office and Civil Division for their work defending the administration’s position in court, saying they have been filing briefs as the government attempts to resolve the disputes before election deadlines arrive.
“I’m really proud of our colleagues at the Solicitor General’s office, Civil Division, who are constantly filing briefs around the clock with all of the courts to make sure that we get this done in time,” Dhillon said.
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