Trump escalates legal challenges against states as Election Day nears

WASHINGTON, Oct 30: Donald Trump's administration is intensifying legal action against US states with just days to go until a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Washington during his final two years in office.

In Alaska, the Justice Department filed an amended lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block the certification of results in the event of a narrow Republican loss in a hugely consequential Senate race, citing a New York Times report that Democratic operatives recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.

In California, meanwhile, the DOJ is escalating its pressure campaign against state election officials, issuing subpoenas as part of a criminal probe into alleged voting by non-citizens, according to copies of documents seen by Reuters.

The moves, taken together, represent an extraordinary federal intervention in state elections, which are administered locally under the US constitution. As November 3 nears, election officials around the country have told Reuters they are bracing for further legal challenges from Washington.

The dispute in Alaska, home to one of about 10 highly competitive Senate races, could leave control of the chamber unclear for weeks. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win back the majority from Republicans. 

If Democrats take one or both chambers of Congress, they could launch probes into Trump's administration and increase pressure on the president to end the war in Iran.�" REUTERS