{
  "id": 16478794,
  "title": "Trump's DOJ barrels into midterms with lawsuits, raids and arrests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/trumps-doj-barrels-into-midterms-with-lawsuits-raids-and-arrests",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T13:05:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Axios",
    "slug": "axios",
    "url": "https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/trump-doj-midterms-interference"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the midterm elections approach, the Trump administration is ramping up its legal assault on the Department of Justice's longstanding principles of independence from the White House and maintaining decorum leading up to elections. President Trump's DOJ has launched a flurry of politically charged investigations, prosecutions, and last-minute maneuvers to sway voter decisions.\n\nA recent example of this heightened scrutiny emerged in Alaska, where the DOJ filed an anticipatory lawsuit aiming to postpone the certification of the state's U.S. Senate outcomes in the event that the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, secures victory. The administration contends that the potential confusion caused by the appearance of a second Sullivan candidate, Dan J. Sullivan Jr., could unfairly impact voter preferences. This lawsuit seeks to put the brakes on the certification of results that favor the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.\n\nHowever, Alaska's Supreme Court has already ruled that both Sullivans are eligible to appear on the ballot, and the state's ranking system allows constituents to vote for either candidate. Legal experts argue that the DOJ's attempts to halt certification raise questions about their authority to interfere with a state-run election process and how they could ascertain voters' intentions without violating ballot secrecy guarantees.\n\nThe November showdown is just one leg of a broader October offensive aimed at exposing allegations of election fraud, scrutinizing prominent Democrats, and reexamining Trump's core political grievances. On October 7, the White House established a committee to investigate alleged mortgage fraud by Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, authorizing DOJ personnel to assist in proceedings that could result in her dismissal. Cook maintains her innocence.\n\nOn October 12, federal agents raided Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) residence and confiscated her cellphone as part of an inquiry into potential immigration fraud. The Wall Street Journal reports that the administration is constructing a case to potentially strip the Somali-born congresswoman of her citizenship and deport her. On October 15, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against California to prevent ballots from over 20,000 suspected noncitizens from being counted. On Friday, prosecutors demanded that county officials segregate the flagged ballots within 48 hours, risking criminal liability if they fail to comply.\n\nFurthermore, on October 22, prosecutors unsealed an eight-count indictment against Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas, a prominent figure in Democrats' redistricting plans, alleging she participated in an illegal marijuana operation. Lucas denies the charges. On October 23, two former senior FBI officials were charged with lying to Congress about their involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel framed the arrests as part of a crackdown on alleged political weaponization against Trump. The DOJ defends its election-related actions, claiming that once an unlawful ballot is cast and counted, it cannot be undone. The department dismisses claims that the Lucas and former FBI officials' cases are linked to the midterms, stating that none of the defendants are on the November ballot. The DOJ asserts that its role as an executive branch entity is constitutionally mandated and criticizes the Biden administration for allegedly weaponizing federal law enforcement against American citizens.",
  "summary": "With just nine days until the midterms, the Trump administration is escalating its assault on two of the Department of Justice's most sacred guardrails: Independence from the White House. Restraint before elections. Why it matters: President Trump's DOJ has shattered the traditional calm of a pre-election period with a barrage of politically sensitive investigations, prosecutions and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}