Trump casts suspicion on midterm elections with DOJ actions

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would respect the results of the November 3 midterm elections only if they are “honest.” Asked whether he will accept the outcome even if Republicans lose control of Congress, Trump told reporters, “I will if they’re honest elections.” His comments came as the Justice Department intensified its scrutiny of voter rolls in Democratic-led states, raising concerns about the integrity of the vote.

Justice Department pressures Washington state over alleged noncitizen voters

The DOJ has threatened legal action against Washington state unless it removes about 400 people it claims are not U.S. citizens from voter rolls. The department gave the state until Wednesday noon local time to respond or face “emergency relief.” Steve Hobbs, Washington’s Secretary of State, said the timing of the request “is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results.” His office found that some of the names on the list were based on outdated information. In one case, the DOJ cited a 1994 record to claim a person was a noncitizen.

“Washington elections are secure,” Hobbs said. “Cases of voter fraud, including noncitizen voting, are incredibly rare, and every voter attests to their eligibility by signing the declaration on their ballot return envelope in every election.” Last month, Washington won a lawsuit arguing it was not obligated to turn over its entire voter list to the DOJ. Dozens of Democrat-led states faced similar demands, and courts sided with them.

The Justice Department has also sued Alaska over its Senate ballot, which includes two candidates named Dan Sullivan. The department argues that the state failed to fairly run the election by allowing another Dan Sullivan on the ballot. The incumbent senator appears with information indicating his status. Trump said Friday he personally told the DOJ to file the lawsuit. The Alaska race is among several that could determine control of the Senate.

Earlier this month, California received a DOJ letter requiring review of a list of about 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters. California authorities said a large percentage appear to be born in the U.S. and automatically eligible to vote. The DOJ plans to deploy a record number of election observers nationwide on November 3, despite objections from local officials in several Democratic-led states, including New Jersey and California. Historically, observers were sent to places with records of civil rights violations.