Mary Peltola denies knowledge as party accused of recruiting spoiler candidate with same name as sitting Republican

• Alaska Senate race: what to know about Democrats’ alleged ballot-stacking effort

The top federal prosecutor in Alaska confirmed on Friday the existence of a criminal and a civil investigation into an alleged scheme by Democrats to confuse voters by recruiting a spoiler candidate on the ballot for US Senate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent, senator Dan Sullivan.

Speaking at a news conference in Anchorage on Friday, US attorney Michael Heyman cited reporting by the New York Times which suggested that the Senate campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola and national Democrats had, in his words, “orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up Daniel J Sullivan as a sham candidate”.

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© Photograph: Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg via Getty Images

© Photograph: Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg via Getty Images

© Photograph: Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg via Getty Images

President Trump is making a final push to help Republicans maintain control of Congress as some of the most closely watched races remain competitive. But the battle for the Senate is also playing out in court. In Alaska, the Trump administration sued to potentially block certification of the election if the Republican incumbent loses. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.

Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden's laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

With the midterm elections less than two weeks away, a new legal battle is raising questions about the federal government's role in policing who is eligible to vote. A federal judge in California has blocked a Department of Homeland Security effort to identify noncitizens on voter rolls. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.