https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-justice-dept-breaks-with-tradition-intervene-midterms-2026-11-02/WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has shown a willingness to intervene directly in Tuesday's midterm elections, breaking with decades of practice meant to avoid the appearance that its law enforcement powers are being used to benefit a political party or candidate.In California, the Justice Department sought to set aside mail-in ballots from about 20,000 voters it alleges are likely non-US citizens ineligible to vote.The department has also demanded records in a related criminal probe. California has said it has implemented measures to prevent voting by noncitizens and argued the Justice Department does not have the authority to block votes.In Alaska, the department has intensified a criminal investigation into whether a Senate candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan entered the race to confuse voters. It also sought to block certification if Sullivan narrowly loses, but a federal judge dismissed that lawsuit on Sunday.Courts have now rejected the department's lawsuits against both states, but the cases underscore the DOJ's willingness to intervene in election disputes before votes are counted and results certified. The department has appealed the Alaska decision.Critics say the department could accelerate any attempt by Trump to sow doubt about the midterms, which will determine control of Congress and the winners of dozens of governors' races.“It appears that the administration wants the department to have an impact that was previously prohibited,” said Mark Blumberg, who previously led the DOJ’s election response to civil rights threats and has since founded the Rule of Law Project.
“The Department isn’t helping any campaign. It’s enforcing the law," department spokesperson Kiersten Pels said in a statement.>FALSE FRAUD CLAIMSThe US Constitution assigns responsibility for administering elections to the states, but Trump, a Republican, argues Democratic-led states are not doing enough to prevent voting by noncitizens, which is prohibited under US law. He continues to falsely assert that widespread fraud caused his 2020 election loss. Independent studies and state audits have found voter fraud to be rare.Outside groups aligned with Trump filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging his 2020 defeat, all of which were unsuccessful. DOJ officials in his first term rejected pressure to enlist the department in those efforts.“The right-wing fringe outside groups are not going to have to do that this year because the DOJ is clearly standing ready and willing to do it,” said Lis Frost, a voting rights lawyer with Elias Law Group, which frequently represents Democrats in court.Historically, Justice Department election interventions have focused on enforcing federal laws meant to ensure racial minorities or vulnerable populations can vote without impediment.>THE ALASKA CASEAlaska has become a particularly intense legal battleground after the New York Times reported that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign was involved in recruiting retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan to challenge incumbent Dan Sullivan.The Justice Department lawsuit, which Trump said he directed the department to file, asked a court to halt certification and order an investigation if the margin suggested voter confusion could have affected the outcome. US District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage dismissed the case on Sunday, finding Alaska could not conduct such a probe while preserving the secrecy of ballots.Legal experts had said DOJ lacked authority to bring the case and risked appearing to favor the Republican incumbent.
“For the department to be trusted in its law enforcement decisions it has to ensure that people understand it does not take sides in political partisan disputes,” said Peter Keisler, acting attorney general under Republican President George W. Bush. “And this has not only the appearance but the evident reality of taking sides.”Blanche has said the case sought to stop what he described as fraud by Daniel J. Sullivan, who denies trying to mislead voters. Peltola's campaign said it had "no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.”Asked about criticism of the lawsuit, a Justice Department official said at a press briefing on Thursday, "We bring lawsuits to enforce federal law."TRUMP ALLIES EMPOWEREDThe Justice Department has traditionally proceeded cautiously in election investigations because its involvement can cause uncertainty or be exploited by candidates or political parties.Its Public Integrity Section, staffed with career experts on election law, has often advised agents and prosecutors to wait until results are certified before intervening, according to former DOJ officials.The Trump administration has slashed the size of the unit and suspended a requirement that federal prosecutors consult it on election-corruption probes. DOJ officials say US Attorney’s Offices are better positioned to decide whether charges are merited.Instead, agents and prosecutors have been told that unresolved issues will be decided by Trump political appointees, according to three people familiar with the conversations.The Deputy Attorney General’s Office will mediate disputes between agents and prosecutors, they said, a direct role that former DOJ officials said it has rarely played in election investigations.Pels said "resolving disputes that can’t be resolved in the field is exactly the role that office exists to play.”
>>1546471>trump tries to stop fraud>ITS NOT FAIR HOW ARE WE DEMOCRATS SUPPOSE TO WIN PLAYING FAIR
>>1546474>Fraud is when Alaska puts a candidate on the ballot that the Alska Supreme Court ruled was allowed to be on the ballot
>>1546475>my goldfish who takes my dead great grandpa's name should be allowed to vote and not be vetted because he voted democrat.
>>1546476This is, legitimately, what the Alaska ballot looks like>Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr>Sullivan, Daniel S. (Registered Republican) IncubentIf you cannot tell the difference between which one is the republican candidate, you're genuinely so illiterate you shouldn't have gotten to that point in the voting process in the first place.
>>1546476Good thing we have strong election fail-safes in place to stop criminals like youJust ask James O'Keefe, who's looking at five years in prison for trying to illegally vote in Minnesota
>>1546476>I'm a faggot who can only engage with the most retarded strawmen, anything more would overheat my two brain cells rubbing together and kill me.Seethe and die, faggot.
>>1546475Bud, the fraud is so bad even the NYT had to write about it. >>1546477Weird how we know, based on a former Democrat campaign manager, that Sullivan Jr was found and pushed to run with the explicit intent of confusing Alaska voters. You don't have to defend everything Democrats do. It's really easy to say "this is bad, undemocratic, and bad for our country".
>>1546478>Election fail safes like charging O'Keef for demonstrating a massive, easily abused, flaw in Minnesota election law
>>1546481Go videotape yourself abusing it thenYou'll do better than O'Queef, who videotaped himself failing so he could go to jail
>>1546481>demonstrating a massive, easily abused, flaw in Minnesota election lawDoesn't seem so easily abused considering how trying it got him caught and now has him looking at state charges for voter fraud.
>>1546480>Weird how we know, based on a former Democrat campaign manager, that Sullivan Jr was found and pushed to run with the explicit intent of confusing Alaska voters.If Alaskan voters are confused by that they were too stupid to vote.Funnily enough, if this is true, they got it from Republicans in Florida who did the exact same thing you're alleging dems are doing in Alaska. Turnabout is fair play, retard.
>>1546481>The fact that he was asked for identification, not allowed to cast a ballot, and charged with fraud proves you can cast a ballot without ID and get away with itBreathtaking gymnastics. 9.3.
>>1546485>they got it from Republicans in Florida who did the exact same thing you're alleging dems are doing in AlaskaRepublicans who got criminally charged. As should the Dems responsible for it. >Alaskan voters are confused by that they were too stupid to vote.So you have no real argument defending what's been done, instead it's "well, actually, you deserve to have your vote subverted". You're the bad guy here, you know that right?
>>1546486He wasn't asked for ID. He just had to sign a declaration. And what he showed was that one person can just "lmao trust me bro" a huge number of unknown persons.
>>1546485More fun facts:-The Republican operative who orchestrated the Florida fraud paid the fake candidate $45,000-The Republican who benefited from the fraudulent candidate had her victory certified without delay and served her full term-The Republican operative who orchestrated the fraud was charged and convicted for the illegal payment, but has yet to spend a minute in jail five years later
>>1546489>He wasn't asked for ID. He just had to sign a declaration. And what he showed was that one person can just "lmao trust me bro" a huge number of unknown persons....which promptly got him caught and charged. This is like saying "See, it's easy to just walk into a secure area" because you can physically jump a fence, ignoring how you then get caught on security camera and charged for trespassing.
>>1546490So this makes it okay? You understand that you're admitting that you (1) have no moral compass and (2) do not care about the democratic process? You get that right?
>>1546492>Waaaah, why are you playing by the rules we set? Keep crying, faggot, we're drinking your tears
>>1546489Did he successfully receive a ballot at any of the four polling places he visited attempting to prove how easy it was to illegally vote in Minnesota, yes or no?
>>1546491He got caught because he posted a video of him doing it, which absolutely blew up and got millions of views because the fact that Minnesota has "lmao trust me bro" laws is fucking insane.
>>1546495it's baffling how fucking dumb you people are. i hope more republicans self own themselves this way
>>1546493>Yes, I'm a piece of shit Wild argument. >Tears There are none.
>>1546492I'm saying if that's the precedent Republicans have set for this kind of thing, that you can pull a stunt like this and enjoy the spoils without facing any real consequences, I have no issue with Democrats utilizing it. Why should Democrats play by rules that Republicans won't?I'm also saying no one on the right has been able to actually articulate a crime that has been committed in Alaska
>>1546494>Did he successfully receive a ballotNo, because he was smart enough to stop the process before that. Otherwise he would have actually committed voter fraud.
>>1546498>I'm also saying no one on the right has been able to actually articulate a crime that has been committed in AlaskaIts not a crime, Republicans are just too stupid to tell two clearly marked people apart and don't understand everyone is laughing at their stupidity.
>>1546498>Why should I have a moral code?You serious?
>>1546499>NoThank you
delicious esl shill tearswe're eating good this week
>>1546500>Its not a crimeIt is actually. 18 U.S.C. § 241 — Conspiracy Against Rights.>Republicans are just too stupid to tell two clearly marked people apart and don't understand everyone is laughing at their stupidity.You realize, again, that you're freely admitting that you're fundamentally undemocratic?
>>1546504>its really a crime>throwing a sandwich is assault>raping kids is okayMIGA really don't have a moral compass, do they?
>>1546501>Attempting to appeal to morality while defending the party who reaped the benefits of a fake candidate and established the precedentLol. Lmao even.
>>1546503>It's awesome that were denying people their fundamental right to vote, and yeah, I have absolutely no sense of right or wrongNever stop posting.
>>1546504Whose rights have been violated?
>>1546507>its my god given right as a retarded indian shill to rape children and support child rapists like Donald J TrumpNever stop posting
>>1546506I said that what those Republicans in Florida did was wrong and that they should all be in jail. Try actually reading my posts.
>>1546509Now that you realize how bad you've made yourself look, youre seethposting. Nice.
>>1546508The people who erroneously voted for the wrong person.
>>1546510>I said that what those Republicans in Florida did was wrong You realize we can all see the entirety of this thread and that you haven't said that, right?
>>1546513>You realize we can all see the entirety of this thread and that you haven't said that, right?Ooooof >>1546487
>>1546513ESL shill, arguing in good faith? This is election day, not April Fools dayAll you're going to get is cope, lies, and crying
>>1546512Dan S. Sullivan is on the general election ballot, thanks to ranked choice voting. No one's vote has been discarded
>>1546514>Republicans who got criminally chargedI don't see you actually condemning those Republicans anywhere in that statement
>>1546516>Guy selected by democrat operatives for the explicit purpose of dividing Republican votes is on the ballot Yeah, kinda the problem buddy.
>>1546518Both Dan Sullivans are on the general ballotSo again, whose rights have been violated
>Guy selected by democrat operativesthey're still pretending thisat least they stopped pretending he paid to change his name
>>1546517>Oh no it's not explicit enough xd Lmao I knew that was going to be your response. It's super easy to do: I condem, totally, and without qualification, what those Republicans or any other person has done to disenfranchise or otherwise deprive voters or their right to choose. It's so easy to when you're not a horrible person, when you actually believe in democracy and freedom. Why don't you give it a swing?
>>1546520>they're still pretending thisEsl. Bud, NYT wrote a massive article on the vast conspiracy to get a duplicate on the ballot. It's over.
>>1546519Literally just answered you.
>>1546522at least you stopped pretending he was paid to change his name>>1546519>So again, whose rights have been violatedThey literally don't have a single person, its just whining and coping over losing
I have yet to hear a good explanation why verifying election results is a bad thing.
>>1546523>Yes, everyone who wants to vote for Dan S. Sullivan, incumbent Republican Senator, is still able to do so regardless of how they voted in the primary.>But their rights have been violated because... they just have, okay!?
>>1546526Your argument is to pretend to be retarded?
>>1546525It depends on who is doing the verifying. When you have CyberNinjas wasting taxpayer dollars trying (and failing) to prove a false GOP narrative it becomes like a payoff to right wing trolls more than an audit of the votes.
>>1546524>Okay it was a massively shitty thing to do to voters but uhhhh you can't name anyone (don't have to under the law) so it's okay! What's life like being such a terrible person? Must be tough.
>>1546517Still waiting for you to denounce >>1546521
>>1546527Your argument is to namecall and bloviate because you can't actually articulate a point?
>>1546528The CN audit went cold because they were sued to death by the democratic party anon. They didn't have the money to keep operating.
>>1546530Never claimed to have issue with it. Five years ago I would have. But then Republicans opened Pandora's BoxSo now my stance is firmly "Turnabout is fair play".I do not care about the retroactive pearl clutching of someone who still supports a party who has already reaped the benefits of this behavior
>>1546531Points been articulated. There is a massive NYT article articulating the point if you would like to review it.
>>1546533>I have no morals or principles >I'm happy to trample the rights of others Wow.
>>1546532The audit was released and actually showed votes for Biden had been undercountedRepublicans completely abandoned it after that
Leaf here. The fact that some of your states don't require you to prove who you fucking are when you vote is extremely bizarre. This is a basic election security safeguard that (some) people have convinced themselves is worth throwing out the window because racism or some stupid bullshit like that.
>>1546532>The CN audit went cold because they were sued to death by the democratic party anon. They didn't have the money to keep operating.No they got sued to death because they did a sloppy audit that took twice as long as it should've and led to several voting machines being out of state custody so long they had to be replaced. Not only did they not find anything, but they were really fucking bad at their jobs.
>>1546537>esl shill here, pretending to be canadian. I'm getting rolled in this thread so I'm needing to sockpuppet and strawman more to keep from breaking down and crying
>>1546535>I will smugly pay lip service to morality on a Mongolian basket weaving site five years after my party benefited from the behavior I'm whining aboutSo brave
>>1546539>he disagrees with my bullshit narrative so he must be a shillInteresting tactic. This must be projection.
>>1546532They literally made up bullshit about bamboo ballots and corrupted hard drives, Anon. I'm sorry you're so gullible.
>>1546533>He doesn't know it's Democrats who first came up with ballot stacking Massachusetts, 1946 — John F. Kennedy and the two Joe Russos.
>>1546540It's so easy. Weird you can't do the same thing.
esl shill is scraping the bottom of the barrel so hard they're coping with conspiracy theories from 1946, lol
>>1546545>Republicans did it first so it's okay >Actually, Democrats did it first >No that point that totally undermines my argument doesn't count
Americans can register to vote using a utility bill and the only thing preventing an illegal or non-citizen from voting is basically asking them to pinky promise that they are actually a citizen. Some democracy lmao.
>>1546546who are you replying to? You know you don't have to quote another post if you're going to strawman an argument?
>>1546544You're right, pearl clutching after the fact is easyTell you what. Come back in six years after Peltola finishes out her term and I'll gladly regurgitate your empty words back at you with every ounce of insincere smugness.
>>1546550>Doubling down on the "I'm a shitty person" argumentIncredible.
>>1546550Insincere? Would an insincere person whine and announce that they're going to try to do the thing next election to get even instead of following their announced goals of fixing election law so it doesn't happen again?
>>1546553I fully and sincerely support every state in the Union passing laws banning this kind of thing starting tomorrowAnyone who disagrees with me is an evil, immoral person
>>1546557It's already against the law.
>>1546558shhh, esl shill is larping and pretending they know things about American elections
>>1546558Why did the fully Republican nominated Alaska Supreme Court allow this lawlessness on the ballot?
>>1546561Republicans love corruption and child raping, so they'll approve both without any conditions.
Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed a child diddler and all these leftist rats kvetched about it so you know their so called concern about child raping is totally fake.
>Thomas Crooks and Ryan Routh are based for trying to kill a pedophileesl shill is getting there, at least
Who is this schizo obsessing about esl shills? Is he some kind of recurring mentally ill lolcow on /news/ I should be aware of?
Vivek's final message to Ohio days before an election was>Pedophiles are based
>>1546566The fact he doubled down on that terrible fucking ad, and then Trump and Vance both teamed up to help him triple down on it, is gonna be studied as an electoral blunder for fucking decades. Literally a build-your-own October surprise. He had the ultimate out of "I was unaware of that woman's involvement in the abuse of my opponent and I hereby remove the ad", but no. Tried to fucking double down and became widely known as supporting a fucking child rapist's accomplice. The moment it came out the last time Acton's mother said she was a liar was when she was accusing her step-father of sexual assault should've been the moment that ad got pulled and buried by the whole Republican party, especially within the context of the whole Epstein files debacle.
>>1546567It's unbelievable that that ad went through at all. Like holy shit, do the SLIGHTEST amount of research.
>>1546568If they were competent, intelligent, or had a soul they wouldn't be Republicunts
>>1546561>>1546562>Be on /news/ >Be incredibly low-information So, Alaska Courts can only consider Alaska law. This is a FEDERAL issue. Also, the story about the conspiracy broke in the NYT AFTER the Alaska courts ruled.
>>1546569What's it like being such a partisan retard? Do you get invited to many parties?>Rhetorical question
>>1546542They caught a guy on camera modifying election-related files and running a command to scrub the hard drives while the state was under court order to turn over all election-related files. They also found other interesting things breaking election law, like the servers not being airgapped.
>>1546570>This is a FEDERAL issue.still coping and crying, esl shill?
>>1546538>Not only did they not find anything, but they were really fucking bad at their jobs.https://headlineusa.com/maricopa-county-ids-election-workers-who-deleted-ariz-audit-files/>According to the information made public at that meeting, a certain Brian Ramirez, who works as an administrative/operations specialist for the county, violated elections policy by accessing and deleting election data.>Election investigator Matt Vanbibber discovered that Ramirez, who was not authorized to access the material, used others’ credentials in order to hide evidence of electoral fraud from auditors.>“So basically, you have Brian entering the server room, and remember I told you he does not have badge access,” Vanbibber told attendees. “We The People actually collected server room logs from Maricopa . . . [and what] you see is Brian has Passarelli’s card in the server room, and he also has Charles Cooley’s badge as well.”
>>1546575>Ask question >Get answer >Nooooo u mad Okay. Personally, if I made myself look like an idiot by confusing state jurisdiction with federal jurisdiction I would just not reply and hope the thread moves on without anyone noticing.
>>1546573That's why the election was overturned based on the "evidence" they presented, right?Oh wait, they didn't actually present any evidence and instead were laughed out of court.
>>1546577>I made myself look like an idiot by confusing state jurisdiction with federal jurisdiction Its why we're laughing at you, faggot
>>1546579>No u Magical. Are you still pretending to be American? Americans tend to know the difference between State law and federal law. But it confuses the shit out of foreigners like (You).
>Americans tend to know the difference between State law and federal law.You're funny, today, esl shillI hope you don't die of a fentanyl overdose tonight
>>1546570You know that a federal judge already threw out the DOJ's case against Alaska, right?
>>1546583Like they said, they're not going to reply and hope the thread moves on without anyone noticing how retarded they are
>>1546479>all arguments are strawman I can't overcome the almighty strawman so you're now a troll.typical democrat brainrot
>>1546586nobody thinks you're american
>>1546587so i can vote anyways right demshit? you won't be racist right
>>1546588no, but you can get in the trench
>>1546588I don’t understand the eagerness of other countries to shoot themselves in the foot and bleed out just to please Trump
>>1546590>other countriesthese are just pedophile enablers in other countries.
>>1546573>They caught a guy on camera modifying election-related files and running a command to scrub the hard drives while the state was under court order to turn over all election-related files.Where? I remember reading their reports and they didn't have shit.>>1546576This isn't Cyber Ninjas at all. Genuinely I can't even find anything on this "Matt Vanbibber" guy, and the event he presented this finding as just seemed to be some lolbertarian conspiracy presentation with zero actual evidence behind what they were saying.
>>1546593>Where? I remember reading their reports and they didn't have shit.https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/watch-maricopa-county-election-employees-seen-late-night/>inb4 gateway punditThe article has a picture of the guy, you don't need to read the thing. I'd post the picture here but this board doesn't allow images after the OP for some reason.
>>1546603And now this is a separate incident, completely unrelated to both cyber ninjas AND the other guy making claims in 2022, so you're just throwing shit at a wall instead of addressing literally anything.>As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Maricopa County admitted during Kari Lake’s court proceedings in 2022 to “install[ing] new memory cards on its Election Day tabulators” on October 14, 17, and 18, after the statutorily required October 11 logic and accuracy (L&A) testing. The tabulators went on to fail on election day, disenfranchising thousands of voters across Maricopa County and robbing Kari Lake of her victory over then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.lmao this is still trying to convince people Lake won.
betrayal
They need to intervene harder then kek
