Homeland Security agents search Rep. Omar's home, the FBI posts a video on a Democratic Senate candidate and the Justice Department gives California 48 hours, weeks before the midterms

THE GUARDIAN

The attorney general is also campaigning for Republicans, and a Guardian analysis says the moves break the department's custom of neutrality before an election.

A Guardian analysis published Sunday, Oct. 18, lists federal law-enforcement moves in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The analysis argues that together, they break the Justice Department's long practice of staying neutral near an election.

The search. Federal agents searched the home of Ilhan Omar (Rep-D Minnesota) on Oct. 12. NPR reported that the agents were from Homeland Security Investigations, part of the Department of Homeland Security, and acted under a warrant a judge approved. The search is part of a federal probe of Omar's citizenship, covered in a separate story.

The video. The FBI, part of the Justice Department, published a video criticizing Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, and other Democrats. Attacks on El-Sayed are covered in a separate story.

The ultimatum. The Justice Department gave California election officials 48 hours to check the citizenship of 20,000 people. If they did not, it would sue. The analysis does not say how the department chose those 20,000 names.

A department official told the Guardian no rule bars acting close to an election. ([TS]True on the calendar. But DOJ's own manual bars timing any step to help or hurt a candidate.)

“This administration pushed those experts out of the department, and employees seeking guidance are now directed to political appointees loyal to the president.”Stacey Young, former Justice Department attorney

What next. Voting ends Tuesday, Nov. 3.i — editor’s note

What polls did around the 2016 Comey letter (on Oct. 28, 2016, FBI Director James Comey told Congress the bureau was reviewing new emails tied to Hillary Clinton):

• Monmouth national poll, Oct. 18, 2016 (before the letter): Clinton 46%, Trump 39%
• Monmouth, Oct. 28: Clinton 45%, Trump 41%
• Monmouth, Nov. 2: Clinton 45%, Trump 43%
• A peer-reviewed study controlling for other events estimated a 0.121-point drop in Clinton's two-party share. That is too small to tell apart from zero.