Justice Department Sues Alaska Over Senate Election Certification

The Justice Department sued Alaska over its Senate election, seeking to limit certification if officials believe votes may have been affected by confusion between two candidates named Dan Sullivan. President Donald Trump said he directed the department to file the case, while Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to discuss his private communications with the president. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Alaska, asks state officials not to certify results that may have been affected by voter confusion between Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and challenger Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The department argues that the candidates’ similar names could mislead voters and distort the election’s outcome. The filing does not establish that voters were in fact confused. Blanche defended the case in television interviews Sunday, saying it is intended to preserve election materials so officials can assess whether confusion occurred. He said it does not seek to stop people from voting or to prevent certification outright. The department’s filing, however, urges officials not to certify a result that may have been affected by confusion, and Blanche said certification should not...