Trump is setting the stage to contest the midterms. Here’s how

With Election Day close, President Donald Trump is laying groundwork to dispute the midterm results, even though some of the most dramatic scenarios, such as a national emergency to take over elections or a Postal Service campaign against mail voting, have not materialized. Asked this week whether he would accept the outcome, Trump said he would "if they are honest elections." Since he has claimed fraud even after winning, the expectation is that he will doubt any result in which Republicans lose the House or Senate, according to CNN.

The Justice Department, now led by Trump's former personal lawyer Todd Blanche, has acted on several fronts. It told California and Washington state to set aside ballots from people it says may be noncitizens, citing 20,000 names in California and, in Washington, 400 individuals said to have cast 1,500 votes in earlier elections. It sued California after officials said the demand violated state law. The department is also investigating Representative Ilhan Omar and opened a criminal probe into how a second Dan Sullivan reached Alaska's Senate ballot, and Alaska's Republican governor has suggested he might withhold certification.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →