"I'm the one that said 'do it'": Trump on the DOJ's Alaska Senate suit
Erin Burnett's OutFront panel looks at a ballot with two Dan Sullivans and asks what a challenge filed before any votes are counted could change, 11 days before the midterms.
CNN
Story of Why this story? One of CNN's most watched videos since yesterday, with 78,539 views.
We 'knew this was coming': Trump orders DOJ to sue Alaska
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:19Trump tells reporters he directed the lawsuit: "Well, I'm the one that said, 'Do it.'"
- 0:36Burnett explains the ballot listing Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent, alongside Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
- 1:15A clip shows Attorney General Todd Blanche saying he works for President Trump.
- 2:26Ryan Crosswell argues that certifying elections is the state's job, not the Justice Department's.
- 4:00Tara Setmayer warns of further challenges and recalls Alaska's 2004 Senate race.
- 6:05Max Rose says governors have been preparing for attempts to contest results.
President Trump did not leave the question of who was behind the Justice Department's Alaska lawsuit open for long. Asked about it by reporters in Florida, he answered directly: "Well, I'm the one that said, 'Do it.'"
CNN's report on Erin Burnett OutFront builds on that admission. According to CNN, the lawsuit seeks to block Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate result if the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, loses. That makes the federal government's move preemptive. Earlier coverage this morning centered on the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, and her response. CNN's video adds the president's own account of the order and a closer look at the argument behind the suit.
That argument is on the ballot itself. Burnett shows a mockup listing two candidates: "Sullivan, Dan S.," marked as the registered Republican incumbent, and "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." The report presents the similar names as the source of the dispute. Republican strategist Doug Heye puts the politics plainly: "Two Dan Sullivans on the ballot is a bullet for Donald Trump."
CNN also plays a clip of Attorney General Todd Blanche setting aside the tradition of Justice Department independence from the White House: "I don't. I work for President Trump." A second clip, from his confirmation hearing, shows Sen. Chris Coons pressing him on ethical limits. Blanche replies that he would not violate his oath to the Constitution.
Former DOJ attorney Ryan Crosswell says certifying an election is "not the federal government or the DOJ's job, it's the state's job." He describes the department's role here as unprecedented. Former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer calls the suit "the tip of the iceberg." Former Democratic congressman Max Rose says governors around the country have been preparing for challenges like this.
The segment drew about 78,000 views in its first three hours. That makes it CNN's second most watched new video since yesterday, far ahead of the network's other upload about the same lawsuit.
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- Channel
- CNN
- Subscribers
- 20,000,000 ▲ 100,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 142,414,383
- Channel views, pace per day
- 18,878,923 (on a normal day: 17,893,250)
- Video published
- October 24, 2026
- Video views so far
- 78,539 (less than a day online)
The numbers
A fast first few hours for an election story that CNN covered in more than one upload today.
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What is the capital of Alaska?
Juneau is Alaska's capital, although Anchorage is the state's largest city.