Justice Department seeks to delay Alaska Senate certification
The federal government filed a suit to pause the counting process in a contested race, prompting pushback from local Republican officials and legal experts.
By Rebecca Foster ·
President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Justice to challenge the certification of the Alaska U.S. Senate race.
The administration claims a procedural error occurred when two candidates named Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot. The Justice Department asked a federal court to hold the certification of a potential Democratic victory until the issue is resolved. This move follows a pattern of Trump questioning election integrity during his second term.
The conflict began after the New York Times reported that the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola recruited a person named Dan Sullivan to run for office. This was intended to split the vote from the Republican incumbent, Senator Dan Sullivan. Trump called for Peltola to be prosecuted based on that report. He also directed the Justice Department to intervene in the state election process.
Legal scholars view the lawsuit as a rare federal action. It is the first time since the Civil Rights era that the federal government has sued to stop a state from certifying an election. The Constitution assigns that duty to the states. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department had no choice but to act. He told reporters on CNN that the administration is not trying to take over a state election.
The move has divided the Alaska Republican party. Senator Lisa Murkowski said the administration should never have filed the suit. The state government, which is controlled by Republicans, filed papers to dismiss the case. Senator Dan Sullivan did not state whether he supports the federal lawsuit.
The administration has also pursued other election challenges. It sued California to block the counting of ballots, alleging 20,000 noncitizens were on the rolls. A similar demand was made of Washington regarding about 400 voters. A federal judge rejected the California demands on Wednesday. The Justice Department also seized 2020 election records from Georgia. Trump announced a $1 million bounty for proof of voter fraud earlier this week.
Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame, criticized the Alaska lawsuit. He called the legal argument one of the worst he has seen. Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth, warned that the threat is actions that cannot be undone. Trump told reporters he will accept results if they are honest elections.
