Trump says he ordered DOJ to sue Alaska over Senate certification

President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he directed the Department of Justice to sue Alaska to block the certification of the state's U.S. Senate election results unless incumbent Republican Senator Daniel S. Sullivan wins. The lawsuit argues that the presence of challenger Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on the ballot creates a risk of voter confusion due to the candidates sharing the same name.

Government attorneys filed the suit claiming that if all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan had been cast for the incumbent, Senator Sullivan would have won the election. The administration is seeking a court order to prevent Alaska from certifying results if the incumbent does not win, a move that follows Attorney General Todd Blanche's earlier comments suggesting the Justice Department could intervene to stop states from certifying results.

Election law experts and state officials criticized the intervention as unprecedented. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation & Research called the lawsuit an 'unprecedented intervention' by the federal government in a matter of state law. The suit comes as polling indicates the race between Senator Sullivan and Democratic nominee Mary Peltola is extremely close.

Read the full story at yahoo.com.