Justice department reportedly issues subpoenas in Alaska Senate race
Subpoenas follow a New York Times report that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit a challenger sharing Republican senator Dan Sullivan's name.
At a glance
- The justice department reportedly issued subpoenas tied to the Alaska Senate race, per ABC News and the Associated Press.
- A New York Times report says Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan.
- Alaska's governor opened a criminal inquiry, and Trump has called for Peltola's prosecution.
The US justice department reportedly issued subpoenas on Thursday in connection with the Alaska Senate race, after a report that the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola worked with party operatives to put a challenger who shares Republican senator Dan Sullivan's name on the midterm ballot.
ABC News and the Associated Press reported the subpoenas, citing sources familiar with the matter. The reported federal investigation follows a New York Times finding that the effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan in the Senate race — set to be decided on Tuesday — was led by Peltola's campaign, which had denied involvement for months.
Governor opens criminal inquiry
Earlier on Thursday, Alaska's Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, announced a criminal inquiry into the effort, which the Times reported was intended to confuse Alaskans who wanted to support the Republican incumbent.
Last week, Donald Trump said he had ordered the justice department to file a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate election if Sullivan does not win. That suit is pending.
The subpoenas are the latest aggressive move by the justice department in a politically sensitive matter in the weeks before Tuesday's midterm elections. The department has historically avoided taking overt investigative actions against candidates in the weeks before an election, or other public steps that could be perceived as attempting to influence a political outcome.
Election law experts said they were unaware of what federal law would justify the investigation. Justin Levitt, a former Department of Justice official under Joe Biden, said he did not know what federal violations would fall under the department's jurisdiction, adding that it "sure makes it seem like the point of the investigation is to become the story."
Subpoenas in California the same day
The Alaska developments came the same day the justice department issued subpoenas to California officials, escalating its scrutiny of local election administration. Earlier on Thursday, a federal judge in California appointed a special master to evaluate claims by the Trump administration that the state has some 20,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls. That came less than 24 hours after the judge rejected the department's demand that California sequester the ballots until citizenship can be verified — a ruling the department immediately appealed.
For months, the justice department has been looking into allegations that Dan J Sullivan Jr entered the race to mislead voters and help Peltola's campaign. The potential targets of the investigation are unclear, but Trump earlier this week called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign.
The race is among a handful of Senate contests this year expected to determine control of the chamber. Trump had previously directed the justice department to sue to block certification of the Senate race if Peltola defeats Sullivan.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Why did the justice department issue subpoenas in the Alaska Senate race?
- Reports say the subpoenas follow a New York Times finding that Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit a challenger with the same name as Republican senator Dan Sullivan. Election law experts said they were unaware of what federal law would justify the investigation.
- Who is Dan Sullivan in the Alaska Senate race?
- Dan Sullivan is the Republican incumbent senator. A second candidate named Dan J Sullivan Jr entered the race, and the Times reported the effort to recruit him was intended to confuse voters who wanted to back the incumbent.
- What has Donald Trump said about the Alaska Senate election?
- Trump said he ordered the justice department to sue to block certification of the race if Sullivan does not win, and earlier this week he called for criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign.
