Justice Department Issues Subpoenas in Alaska Senate Race
Seven Lights
The Justice Department has issued dozens of subpoenas in an investigation into allegations that Democrats recruited a man named Daniel J. Sullivan to run for the United States Senate in Alaska against the incumbent Republican, Dan Sullivan, and has asked a federal court to segregate ballots in the race.
Michael Heyman, the United States attorney for the District of Alaska, said at a news conference in Anchorage on Friday that recent reporting “has resulted in a significant surge of law enforcement assets” to the state. He called the allegations that the campaign of the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit the second Sullivan “troubling,” and said the department was “taking that extremely seriously.” He declined to identify the crimes under examination, saying investigators were weighing “several theories.”
The inquiry reopened after The New York Times reported last week that operatives linked to the Peltola campaign had a hand in recruiting the candidate who shares the senator’s name. Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, ordered a state investigation. State election officials initially found Daniel J. Sullivan ineligible to appear on the ballot, accusing him of a “deliberate attempt” to confuse voters, but state courts overturned that decision, ruling that officials lacked authority to exclude a candidate over an interpretation of good faith.
In a separate civil suit, the Trump administration has sued to block Alaska from certifying the Senate results if Mr. Sullivan loses because of “voter confusion.” On Friday the department sought a preliminary injunction to “ensure the preservation and segregation of ballots that may be impacted by voter confusion,” asked for expedited discovery against the Peltola campaign and the senatorial committee, and requested a ruling by Monday. The filings lean heavily on the Times’ reporting. “Daniel J. Sullivan does not seek to serve in the U.S. Senate but rather seeks to confuse voters,” the government wrote.
Ms. Peltola, a former congresswoman seeking to flip the seat, said Thursday that she “knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent” and was “not interested in tricking voters.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee argued that Republicans have themselves been linked to ballot-stacking efforts in Alaska and elsewhere. Election law experts consulted by Alaska Public Media found no statute squarely prohibiting the conduct described, while noting it crossed ethical lines.
The subpoenas and the injunction request came four days before the midterm elections, in one of the closest contests determining control of the Senate. The department said it was not escalating the case; the investigation had run “quietly for several months,” Mr. Heyman said.