Blanche Defends DOJ Lawsuit Over Alaska Senate Election

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s Senate election, saying it is intended to preserve election materials and allow officials or a court to assess possible voter confusion, not to take over the state’s election or overturn its results. The lawsuit concerns two candidates named Dan Sullivan: Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The department’s complaint says the similar names could mislead voters and asks that election results not be certified if confusion may have affected the outcome. The requested restrictions remain subject to a federal court’s decision. Blanche described the case during Sunday television interviews as a way to keep ballots and other election materials available for review. He said Alaska’s officials or a court could determine after voting whether confusion affected the result. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he had directed the Justice Department to pursue the lawsuit. Blanche declined to discuss his private communications with Trump when asked whether the president personally told him to file the case. Trump’s public statement does not establish...