Attorney General Defends Alaska Election Lawsuit, Says Trump Is Not Trying to Take Over State Elections

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the Justice Department’s bid to block certification of Alaska’s Senate race is not an attempt to give President Donald Trump control over state elections.

“President Trump is not trying to take over a state election in any way, shape, or form,” Blanche told CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We’re not laying any groundwork for the president to do that.”

The department sued Friday to stop Alaska from certifying the results of its U.S. Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses narrowly. The lawsuit, filed ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, drew quick criticism from Democrats and some Republican election officials.

Why the department points to two similar names

Blanche said the Alaska action is specific to that state. The department contends voters will be confused because two Republicans on the ballot have almost identical names: incumbent U.S. Senator Dan S. Sullivan and challenger Dan J. Sullivan Jr. Blanche said the younger Sullivan is running only to confuse voters.

“Never before have opponents gone to such lengths to try to thwart and cheat an election as they’re doing in this case,” Blanche told CNN.

Dan J. Sullivan has denied in interviews with U.S. news outlets that his aim is to cause confusion or divert votes from the incumbent. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.

Blanche said the lawsuit was filed to give officials “the ability to determine whether there was confusion that violates the law.” He declined to comment on whether Trump ordered him to file it, although the president himself has said he did.

Trump spoke about Alaska again on Sunday before boarding a flight to Michigan, accusing Democrats of orchestrating Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.

“They’ve made it very unclear and I think it’s very unfair,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s illegal because it’s unfair. You want fairness in voting.”

Critics call it part of a pattern

Critics, including Democratic and some Republican election officials, view the move as part of a pattern of federal overreach in election oversight.

“The fact that Todd Blanche and the Justice Department are willing to go along with it, they’re willing to put their name on it, is an indication of how far they will go after this election is over to try to challenge the results,” U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Election officials around the country have told Reuters they are preparing for possible federal interference in the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress, including legal challenges and disputes over voting that could disrupt certification.

Alongside the Alaska lawsuit, the Trump administration has taken other vote-related actions against states, including a lawsuit to stop California from counting certain mail-in ballots and a mostly unsuccessful attempt to force 30 states and the District of Columbia to provide complete voter rolls.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.