Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska
President Donald Trump took credit for the action amid growing concerns the US government could meddle in midterm races.
With just more than a week until the pivotal US midterm elections, the US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the results in Alaska’s hotly contested Senate race.
In a lawsuit filed on Thursday, the Justice Department argued that an independent candidate with the same name as the state’s incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is currently running for re-election, is purposefully running to mislead voters.
“Given the substantial likelihood that the inclusion of Daniel J Sullivan will confuse or mislead voters looking to cast a vote for Senator Sullivan, and thus distort the will of Alaskan voters, there is a substantial likelihood that a certification of the election will reflect an electoral process that lacked integrity,” the Trump administration’s filing read.
On Wednesday, as Lucas’s indictment was announced, US Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters his agency would not do so unless extreme circumstances warranted such action.