Trump administration intensifies legal challenges four days before the midterms

The shorter the countdown until the midterms, the more aggressive the Donald Trump administration gets in its election-related legal challenges. On Thursday, the federal government stepped up its offensive in an effort to show that thousands of people without the right to vote are planning to participate in upcoming elections in California, Washington and other states. It has also scrutinized Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska after The New York Times reported that Peltola’s team maneuvered to recruit a third candidate with the same name as her Republican rival in an effort to split the Republican vote in the state’s election.Without backing down on either of the two legal fronts — where so far they have not secured decisive victories but rather prompted judges to question the strength of their arguments — the Justice Department (DOJ) issued new subpoenas.Some were directed at employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, including its chief, Dean Logan. Earlier this month, the DOJ sued Logan, seeking to force him and the California Secretary of State to isolate and examine about 20,000 voter registration records that the administration suspects may belong to noncitizens. Those court orders come after two consecutive setbacks for the DOJ: one in a Los Angeles court and another in a federal appeals court.Other subpoenas issued Thursday were sent to people whose identities have not been disclosed as part of an investigation focused on Alaska’s Democratic candidate to the Senate, Mary Peltola. According to a report by The New York Times, Peltola’s campaign allegedly orchestrated a scheme straight out of a Netflix drama to recruit a man named Dan J. Sullivan Jr., whose name closely resembles that of Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, who is seeking re-election. The aim was reportedly to confuse the senator’s supporters and siphon off votes.On another front, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the Trump administration to disclose once and for all which state and local officials nationwide have received warning letters demanding that they verify that their voter rolls include only U.S. citizens.At a hearing held Thursday, a government lawyer’s answer appeared to cast doubt on whether those actions could produce concrete results before the election. Christian Dibblee, the DOJ’s counsel, told Judge James E. Boasberg that these letters do not require States to take any action and acknowledged, according to The New York Times, that states have full discretion to decide how to respond to those communications.One local agency that received communications from the DOJ was the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, on California’s central coast. On Thursday, Republican District Attorney Dan Dow said he was investigating 63 cases of alleged noncitizens who may be registered to vote in that jurisdiction.“Every eligible voter in San Luis Obispo County should vote, and every legal vote deserves to be protected,” Dow said in a statement.For the full press release, visit our website https://t.co/zl1Bfs4gBwEligible voters of SLO County: please vote by Nov. 3. If you are not a U.S. citizen or are not eligible to vote, do not vote. We're investigating 63 federally flagged registrations and local referrals, and… pic.twitter.com/LIUHhUng62— SLO County Dist Atty (@SLOCounty_DA) October 29, 2026 Controversy in the Alaska raceThe case that has drawn the most attention concerns Mary Peltola. The dispute even reached the Alaska Supreme Court, which cleared the way for two candidates named Dan Sullivan to appear on the November 3 ballot. The subpoenas the DOJ served Thursday demand grand jury testimony or document production and require preservation of records.But those court orders have not fully satisfied Republican politicians. Vice President J. D. Vance said Thursday that investigators should look into whether Peltola committed any crimes, particularly election-related offenses. “She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it’s disgraceful, so whether it’s criminal or not, she certainly has committed a great moral failing,” he told reporters.Meanwhile, James Comer, the Republican who leads the House Oversight Committee, sought to interview Elisa Ríos, Peltola’s former campaign manager, and political operative Jerid Kurtz, identified in the The New York Times report as the person who found a candidate with the same name as Senator Dan Sullivan for the Alaska Senate race.If they do not appear voluntarily for an interview, Comer said in letters to both individuals that the committee will be forced to consider a compulsory process. Ríos was fired from Peltola’s campaign in August. The New York Times noted that after being interviewed she later sought to retract her statements.Alaska Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy had asked Wednesday night for further investigation into the case. “Today’s The New York Times reporting reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates —including one with the same name as an incumbent Senator— to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes,” the governor wrote on his X account.Today’s New York Times reporting reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates—including one with the same name as an incumbent U.S. Senator—to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes. The Alaska…— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) October 29, 2026 “I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. The evidence will determine what happens next,” he added.Peltola has downplayed the controversy and called the story a “distraction.” The Democrat said the case was intended to divert attention from issues involving her rival, including his support for war with Iran.The fight in CaliforniaAt the same time, the saga in California shows no sign of ending. In response to the subpoenas that arrived at the Los Angeles County County Registrar-Recorder’s office, Registrar Dean Logan, said that threats and intimidation have no place in elections.On Thursday, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter appointed a court expert to assess the DOJ’s claims that California’s voter rolls include about 20,000 noncitizens and therefore that those votes should be set aside for the midterms.The problem is that the election process is already underway. According to court filings, more than 500,000 ballots have been processed in Los Angeles County alone. On Wednesday, Judge Carter, a Clinton appointee, rejected the DOJ’s requests. He found the government’s arguments lacked credibility. He also warned that the requested intervention would violate several federal laws, disrupt the conduct of the election and likely disenfranchise legitimate voters. Hours later, federal prosecutors appealed the ruling.The decision landed like a bucket of cold water at the White House. On Thursday morning, before heading to a campaign rally in South Carolina, President Donald Trump criticized Carter’s ruling. “California is very corrupt. The elections are extremely corrupt. The judge should not have done that but we’ll appeal that, of course,” he told reporters.Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition