Trump’s AG Says AI ‘Hoax’ Concerns Are Attempt to ‘Influence the Midterms’

Attorney General Todd Blanche has accused Democrats of using the growing debate over artificial intelligence to influence the upcoming midterm elections, as he defended President Donald Trump's dismissal of warnings about the technology as a “hoax.”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Blanche questioned the timing of Democratic lawmakers' renewed calls for AI regulation and suggested the approaching elections were driving the debate.

“Every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about AI after being eerily silent for months and months and months,” Blanche said. “To talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms, I shouldn't have to say that out loud. Of course, that's what it is.”

Blanche's comments came as Trump faces growing calls from lawmakers and technology figures to address potential risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.

Trump on Monday dismissed concerns about AI systems potentially “taking over the world” or “destroying Humanity” as a “HOAX,” while arguing that the technology does not need additional government “guardrails.”

Blanche said he agreed with the president's position.

The attorney general nevertheless emphasized that the Justice Department would investigate criminal conduct involving AI, saying existing federal laws already provide prosecutors with authority to pursue unlawful activity.

“As far as AI is concerned, we have a lot of criminal laws,” Blanche said. “And so if anybody associated with AI violates criminal law, we'll investigate that.”

He added: “I do not think it's the job of the Department of Justice to regulate. We're prosecutors, not regulators. So we're not going to try to regulate.”

Blanche said the DOJ would investigate violations of criminal law involving AI but does not consider regulating the technology itself to be the department's role.

Democratic and independent lawmakers have increasingly raised concerns about the rapid development of artificial intelligence, with calls ranging from stronger safeguards to temporary limits on developing the most advanced systems.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has been among the most vocal critics of the current pace of AI development. At an event with Steve Bannon, Sanders warned that AI could have significant consequences for American workers and national security.

“AI has the potential to eliminate tens of millions of jobs, wiping out entire professions and making it harder for our young people to enter the workforce,” Sanders said. The senator has also warned that advanced AI systems could become difficult for humans to control, saying the technology could have “potentially catastrophic consequences.”

Sanders and Democratic Representative Greg Casar of Texas have separately backed legislation that would place sweeping restrictions on the development of advanced AI. Their proposed Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would prohibit the development of artificial superintelligence and establish a temporary pause on certain advanced AI development.

Casar has also argued that Democrats should make the economic effects of AI a larger part of their political message, particularly as workers face uncertainty over whether automation could eliminate or transform jobs.

Newsweek reached out to Casar and Sanders for comment.

Other Democratic lawmakers have focused on the need for regulation and safeguards rather than an outright halt to AI development. Their concerns include AI's impact on employment, misinformation, privacy, national security and the use of increasingly autonomous systems.

The debate has intensified ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats and Republicans increasingly divided over how the federal government should respond.

Trump has sharply rejected warnings that the rapid development of artificial intelligence poses an existential threat.

In social media posts on Monday, the president dismissed concerns about AI “taking over the world” and “destroying Humanity” as a “HOAX.”

Trump also criticized what he described as a conspiracy against AI and data centers, arguing that the technology needs strong presidential leadership rather than additional regulatory restrictions.

"The AI Hoax being perpetrated by the Radical Left Dumocrats is reminiscent of their Global Warming Scam of not so long ago, where everyone was going to die from extreme heat. What happened? MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social.

The president's comments followed warnings from prominent tech figures about the pace of AI development and the risks of increasingly capable systems.

The debate has produced disagreements even within the technology industry, with executives and researchers calling for different levels of government oversight while others warn that excessive regulation could slow American innovation and weaken the country's position against China.

While rejecting a regulatory role for the Justice Department, Blanche said prosecutors would continue pursuing criminal conduct involving AI.

“We already have—there's plenty of cases involving AI that we've charged individuals,” he said.

Blanche said the department's approach would be based on existing criminal law rather than creating a separate regulatory framework through prosecution.

“AI is extraordinarily beneficial to our society,” he said. “There's a lot of great work that AI does.”

His position focuses the DOJ on whether particular conduct violates an existing criminal statute rather than whether AI technology itself should be subject to additional federal regulation.

Blanche was separately asked what role Americans should expect the Justice Department to play in the upcoming midterm elections. He said federal involvement in elections is longstanding and is not unique to the Trump administration.

“The federal government is always involved in elections,” Blanche said. “That's not new to this administration. It's not new to the Biden administration.”

He said the department would continue performing its responsibilities under federal election law.

“Our role is going to be the same role that federal governments play in elections under the law, as we're required to do and as we should do,” Blanche said.

Blanche's remarks about the Justice Department's election role were separate from his claim that Democrats' recent focus on AI was intended to influence the midterms.

The comments come as concerns about AI have intensified following warnings from technology leaders about the pace of development.

Executives including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk have raised concerns about different potential risks associated with increasingly advanced AI systems. Reuters reported Tuesday that leading AI researchers and executives have been debating the risks posed by systems capable of increasingly autonomous behavior.

At the same time, lawmakers are divided over how much government oversight is appropriate.

Some are calling for additional safeguards, while Trump and his administration have argued that broad regulation could undermine U.S. technological competitiveness.

The debate is now unfolding against the backdrop of the 2026 midterm elections, adding a political dimension to an issue that has also become central to discussions about national security, jobs, economic growth and technological competition with China.

For Blanche, the Justice Department's role remains narrower.

The attorney general said prosecutors will investigate criminal violations involving AI but rejected the idea that the department should become a regulator.

“We're prosecutors, not regulators,” Blanche said.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Sam Wilson.