Alaska Republican governor opens criminal inquiry into namesake ballot effort
The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly issued subpoenas in a federal investigation into allegations that Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign collaborated with party operatives to get a challenger with the same name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan onto the midterm ballot. ABC News reported the subpoenas on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The federal investigation comes a day after the New York Times reported that the effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan was led by Peltola’s campaign, which had for months denied involvement. The Senate race is set to be decided on Tuesday.
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.
The reported subpoenas add a federal dimension to an election dispute that already includes a pending Justice Department lawsuit. Trump said last week that he had ordered the department to file the suit to block certification of the Senate election if Sullivan does not win.