Friday’s evening broadcasts and newscasts all featured the news of a Department of Justice lawsuit that would block the certification of the result of Alaska’s Senate election due to the listing of a phony independent, Dan J. Sullivan, siphoning votes away from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan because of their similar names.
However, CBS took a different path down the story than the other network and connected the suit to the investigation into Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, described as “another target of the DOJ.
CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil introduced the story, “With 11 days to go now until the midterms, control of Congress is on the line, and it could all come down to a single swing state. If that state is Alaska, [it] could be a court that decides control of Congress.
Friday’s CBS Evening News took a more bizarre route and connected the DOJ’s Alaska Senate lawsuit to the investigations into Rep. Ilhan Omar:
CORDES: The move stoked fears among Democrats that Trump might try to intervene in other tight races. Another target of the DOJ,… https://t.co/Y31sxKbQek pic.twitter.com/GwTJI1uZgU— Nick (@nspin310) October 24, 2026
White House correspondent Nancy Cordes then began her report, calling the suit an unusual move and saying the DOJ “asked a federal judge to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska, but only if the Republican incumbent loses” because “DOJ lawyers argued voters might get confused because the independent candidate there has the same first and last name as the Republican.”
Cordes then moved to claim the lawsuit ‘stoked fears among Democrats that Trump might try to intervene in other tight races.”
But Cordes then bizarrely connected the case to the Ilhan Omar investigations:
Another target of the DOJ, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar cast her ballot in Minnesota today. In a statement online, she called Trump a creep. He fired back from Florida.
Cordes closed her report by citing predictions of GOP doom by the Cook Political Report and high gas prices.
The report’s connection to Omar did not mention new reports that show that Ilhan Omar was not the congresswoman’s real name. Not a very 'CBS Newsmax’ report from the network that is supposedly MAGA-coded now.
All of Friday's network newscasts decried the DOJ Lawsuit over the Alaska Senate election and phony Dan J. Sullivan being listed on the same ballot as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
ABC’s David Muir introduced the story by simply saying the DOJ was “launching a lawsuit that… pic.twitter.com/zrF9zij3nY— Nick (@nspin310) October 24, 2026
ABC World News Tonight also joined in on the Alaska lawsuit talk, as Muir continued the framing of “the Justice Department is launching a lawsuit that would potentially block the results of the Alaska Senate race if the Democrat wins.”
Reporter Jay O’Birewn called the lawsuit an “an extraordinary move.” He then detailed the real versus fake Dna Sullivna fiasco, which was the reasoning for the lawsuit:
The Alaska Senate race, considered a toss-up, has former Congresswoman Mary Peltola, a Democrat, challenging Republican senator Dan Sullivan. But there is another candidate named Sullivan also running, Daniel J. Sullivan, who's been on the ballot for months. Trump says voters would be confused, and that will help Democrats.
O’Birne then introduced a Martha Raddatz brief report for Alaska, as the story related back to gas prices, the cost of groceries, and the war in Iran.
Friday’s NBC Nightly also focused on the Alaska lawsuit and claimed the phony Dan J. Sullivan said he “denies” being a “Democratic plant.”
In a midterm news roundup, White House correspondent Gabe Guttierez then focused on the “tighter than expected” Florida governor’s race and… pic.twitter.com/BbsZJ84Znb— Nick (@nspin310) October 24, 2026
NBC Nightly News followed the same path as ABC, with anchor Tom Llamas calling the lawsuit a “controversial new move.”
White House correspondent Gabe Guttierez stated, “11 days before the election, President Trump now says he told his administration to file a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in deep-red Alaska. If Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses because another candidate named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot.”
He added a defense for the phony Dan Sullivan: “The GOP calls the second Sullivan a Democratic plant, which he denies.”
Earlier this year, after Alaska’s primaries, the networks joked about the phony Dan J. Sullivan’s placement on the Senate ballot.
The transcripts from the network newscasts are below. Click "expand":
CBS Evening News
October 23, 2026
6:38:21 PM Eastern
TONY DOKOUPIL: With 11 days to go now until the midterms, control of Congress is on the line, and it could all come down to a single swing state. If that state is Alaska, that could be a court that decides control of Congress. President Trump says he has personally asked the Justice Department to step in, citing confusion over a candidate with nearly the same name as the Republican incumbent. Here's chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes.
[Report begins]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'm the one that said do it.
NANCY CORDES: President Trump took credit today for an unusual move by the Department of Justice, which asked a federal judge to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska, but only if the Republican incumbent loses. DOJ lawyers argued voters might get confused because the independent candidate there has the same first and last name as the Republican.
TRUMP: They put another man also with the name of Dan Sullivan, so we have two Dan Sullivans. How about that?
CORDES: The move stoked fears among Democrats that Trump might try to intervene in other tight races. Another target of the DOJ, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar cast her ballot in Minnesota today. In a statement online, she called Trump a creep. He fired back from Florida.
TRUMP: She comes from a [bleep] Country. And she's telling us how to run the United States.
CORDES:: Florida is one of many red states with tighter than expected Senate races. The Cook Political Report, which tracks congressional elections, moved its outlook for 19 House races in the Democrats' direction today and is predicting that Democrats now are favored outright in the 218 seats they need to take control of the House. O
One driving factor is the price of gas. $4.29 on average nationwide.
[Cuts back to live]
With a week and a half to go until the midterms, the White House is taking a series of steps to try to push prices back down, including invoking the Defense Production Act to boost domestic oil production. But experts say it's unlikely to have much effect in the short term, Tony.
(...)
ABC World News Tonight
October 23, 2026
6:37:58 PM Eastern
DAVID MUIR: Also breaking tonight, with the midterm elections now a week and a half away, tonight the Justice Department is launching a lawsuit that would potentially block the results of the Alaska Senate race if the Democrat wins. And tonight, President Trump says he told the DOJ to do this. Here's Jay O'Brien
[Story begins]
JAY O’BRIEN: Tonight, an extraordinary move from the Trump Administration, filing suit to challenge the results of a key Senate race before a single vote has even been counted. The Justice Department, on orders from President Trump, now asking a federal court to block certification of the Senate results in Alaska, but only if the Republican candidate loses.
REPORTER: Any thoughts on the Alaska lawsuit?
TRUMP: Well, I’m the one who said do it.
O’BRIEN: The Alaska Senate race, considered a toss-up, has former Congresswoman Mary Peltola, a Democrat, challenging Republican senator Dan Sullivan. But there is another candidate named Sullivan also running Daniel J. Sullivan, who's been on the ballot for months. Trump says voters would be confused, and that will help Democrats.
TRUMP [From September 2]: It's close for one reason that they have a phony Dan Sullivan. This guy's a phony.
Today, the Justice Department is filing suit saying Daniel J. Sullivan is running “with the intention of misleading supporters of Senator Sullivan into voting for him.” Adding, “the sole purpose of his candidacy is to benefit the Democrat, Peltola.” They argue that if Senator Sullivan loses and Daniel J. Sullivan gets enough votes to have potentially made the difference, then the court should block the election results. Senator Sullivan says he'll let the DOJ's case run its course. His opponent calls the lawsuit desperate.
MARY PETOLA (On MS NOW): This is clearly corruption. This is clearly a very desperate attempt to cling to power.
O’BRIEN: President Trump recently traveled to Alaska, a state he won three times.
TRUMP: And nobody has done more for Alaska than Donald J. Trump.
O’BRIEN: But tonight in Alaska, a gallon of gas costs $4.79. ABC's Martha Raddatz speaking with Josh York, a retired Army major.
MARTHA RADDATZ: What's the biggest issue now for Alaska.
JOSH YORK: Gas groceries. It's just very expensive to live up here.
O’BRIEN: He points to the cost of the war in Iran.
YORK: I have to question you know, how are how are folks surviving?
(...)
NBC Nightly News
October 23, 2026
6:38:16 PM Eastern
TOM LLAMAS: Back here at home to President Trump's controversial new move just ahead of the midterms, directing the DOJ to try to stop the certification of Alaska's Senate results if the Republican loses. Gabe Gutierrez reports tonight from the white house
[Report begins]
GABE GUTIERREZ: Tonight, the fight over the midterms is already going to court. 11 days before the election, President Trump now says he told his administration to file a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in deep-red Alaska. If Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses because another candidate named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot.
The GOP calls the second Sullivan a Democratic plant, which he denies.
TRUMP: It's cheating like hell [Cut] It’s very confusing to people.
GUTIERREZ: Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola calling the lawsuit corruption.
Meanwhile, the president is playing defense on his home turf, rallying Republicans in Florida, a state he last won by 13 points, but where the governor's race between Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly is among those tighter than expected.
TRUMP: Because I've never seen a midterm election with this kind of action.
GUTIERREZ: The president's midterm blitz over the next week includes Ohio. With that controversial ad in the gubernatorial race.
The ad, launched by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign and called despicable by Democrat Amy Acton, features Acton estranged mother.
TRUMP: A mother is saying, don't put my daughter there because she's a terrible person and she's a liar. Why shouldn't somebody use that?
MONICA ALBA: But do the sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you sir?
GUTIERREZ: NBC's Monica Alba pressing the president about Acton stepfather being arrested and charged with sexually abusing the candidate as a child.
TRUMP: I don't know anything about stepfathers from many, many years ago.
[Cuts back to live]
GUTIERREZ: And late today, the president rolled back tariffs on some Canadian products amid increasing pressure from some Republican candidates. Tom?
(...)
