The Justice Department is sharply intensifying its efforts to intervene in the midterm elections, goaded by a president unfettered by even the limited restraints of his first term. The next several weeks represent a critical moment for federal law enforcement, a test of whether a department repurposed by President Trump as an instrument of unmediated executive power will be effectively mobilized as a guarantor of his political power.
In recent weeks, the department has taken several new steps, including an extraordinary effort to invalidate any potential Democratic victory in the Alaska Senate race. These moves reflect Mr. Trump's growing agitation as his party faces the possibility of losing control of Congress, a prospect tied to his sagging popularity. On Thursday, the department asked a federal court to block certification of the election if the incumbent, Senator Dan S. Sullivan, were to lose narrowly. It claimed that the presence of another candidate with a nearly identical full name tainted the election.
The move, the first of its kind in generations, came in response to the president's complaints about the issue, officials said. Hours after the papers were filed, Mr. Trump abandoned any pretext that department officials had acted without his say-so, telling reporters, "I'm the one that said do it."
Mr. Trump has grown increasingly agitated about the dueling Sullivans, among other election-related grievances, and has demanded the department take legal action. Some department officials raised concerns about the merits and constitutionality of the case, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution.
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