DOJ Probe Examines Alaska Senate Ballot Candidate

Alaska’s federal prosecutors are directing a criminal inquiry into how Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. became a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Prosecutors are examining possible violations involving voters’ rights, and grand jury subpoenas are expected to be issued in the coming hours or days. The investigation began months ago and is expected to continue beyond Election Day.

Investigators are also preparing orders asking phone providers to retain text messages and emails that may help establish the sequence of events behind Sullivan’s candidacy. He is not the Republican incumbent, who is seeking reelection.

The inquiry intensified after an account of efforts by Democratic operatives to recruit candidates, including people with the incumbent’s name. The effort was described as involving people associated with Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign and the Democratic campaign committee for Senate races. Both the Peltola campaign and the committee have denied involvement; the campaign said it had no connection to either Sullivan campaign.

Alaska election officials initially sought to keep Daniel J. Sullivan off the ballot, saying his filing was intended to mislead voters. He challenged the decision, and Alaska’s highest court upheld his eligibility.

President Donald Trump accused Peltola of cheating and called for her and the second Sullivan to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Prosecutors are investigating possible offenses, but the inquiry is set to continue after the election.

Ballot Probe Must Not Turn Allegations Into Political Retaliation

The federal inquiry concerns how Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. became a candidate alongside Alaska’s Republican senator, with grand jury subpoenas expected and the inquiry likely to extend beyond Election Day. The investigation is examining possible violations involving voters’ rights, while investigators seek communications that could clarify how the candidacy came about.

The scrutiny follows an account of a months-long effort by Democratic operatives to recruit candidates, including Alaskans who shared the incumbent’s name. The Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny taking part. Alaska election officials had earlier tried to exclude Sullivan, but the state Supreme Court upheld his right to run.

President Donald Trump has demanded that Mary Peltola and the second Sullivan be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. That political demand should not substitute for evidence or the legal process: the investigation is ongoing, and no conclusion about criminal conduct has been announced.

The case puts the integrity of Alaska’s election process under scrutiny, while the campaign denials and court ruling remain part of the record. Prosecutors are expected to continue their work after Election Day.

Federal Probe Targets Alleged Alaska Ballot-Misdirection Scheme

A federal criminal investigation is intensifying over how Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. secured a place on Alaska’s Senate ballot alongside the Republican incumbent who shares his name. Prosecutors are preparing grand jury subpoenas and seeking to preserve phone and email records as they examine possible violations involving voters’ rights.

The inquiry follows allegations that Democratic operatives worked to recruit candidates with the incumbent’s name. The reported effort involved people associated with Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, both of which deny involvement. The question for investigators is how the second Sullivan’s candidacy was arranged and whether voters’ rights were violated.

Alaska election officials had concluded that Sullivan’s filing was intended to mislead voters and sought to keep him off the ballot. But the Alaska Supreme Court upheld his eligibility, leaving the matter for voters and prosecutors to assess through the election process and the ongoing investigation.

Trump urged that Peltola and the second Sullivan be taken off the ballot and face prosecution, alleging Democrats recruited the challenger to deceive voters. The probe began months ago and is expected to continue beyond Election Day.