US Department of Justice faces scrutiny over election-related lawsuits

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is facing criticism for its involvement in legal actions targeting vote counting processes in Alaska and California. In Alaska, the DOJ is attempting to block the certification of the Senate race, suggesting that voter confusion regarding similar names may have impacted the outcome for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.

In California, the DOJ has sought to prevent state officials from counting approximately 20,000 ballots, citing concerns regarding the citizenship status of certain voters. Legal experts suggest these lawsuits are unlikely to succeed and characterize them as attempts to influence electoral outcomes.

Separately, Vice President J.D. Vance has defended controversial political tactics used by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Vance dismissed criticisms regarding the use of an opponent's family trauma in campaign advertisements, describing politics as a “hard business” and urging fellow Republicans to focus on winning elections.