Top federal prosecutor in Alaska says criminal probe underway over would-be spoiler Senate candidate
Summary
Alaska’s U.S. attorney confirmed a criminal investigation into an alleged effort to confuse voters by recruiting a Senate candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, who shares a name with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The Justice Department is also pursuing civil litigation over the race and has asked to preserve ballots ranking the challenger; Mary Peltola says she did not know about efforts to recruit him.Key Facts
- U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said the criminal investigation had been underway for several months.
- Heyman said news reports about possible involvement by Peltola’s campaign led to a significant increase in law enforcement resources in Alaska.
- Heyman did not identify possible crimes or targets and urged the public to share relevant information.
- A Justice Department court filing seeks to preserve and separate ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan so investigators can examine whether voters were confused.
- The Justice Department submitted proposed questions for Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee about their reported role in recruiting the challenger.
- The Justice Department has separately asked a court to block certification of the Alaska Senate race if incumbent Dan Sullivan loses.
- Alaska officials say they took steps to distinguish the two candidates, and that the state’s ranked-choice voting system addresses concerns about confusion.
- The Ninth Circuit rejected the Justice Department’s request to set aside disputed ballots in California’s midterm election.
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