Justice Department issues new subpoenas in Alaska Senate probe

The Justice Department issued a set of new grand jury subpoenas on Thursday as part of a criminal investigation into the Alaska Senate race. The subpoenas seek testimony and documents related to the candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher who shares a first name with the incumbent, Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that the subpoenas were issued after The New York Times reported that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit Sullivan Jr. The goal of that effort was allegedly to confuse voters in the close contest.

The move escalates a federal probe that has been ongoing for months. The Department of Justice has been examining allegations that Sullivan Jr. entered the race to siphon votes away from the sitting senator. More subpoenas were expected to be sent out on Thursday. The number of recipients and their specific identities were not immediately known. The new subpoenas were confirmed by a person briefed on the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing and not yet public.

President Donald Trump has called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and her campaign. He directed the Justice Department to sue to block the certification of the Senate race if Peltola defeats Sen. Sullivan. In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Democrats of cheating. He stated, “They are trying to take votes away from the incumbent, not by running an election, not by running on issues but by putting up a person with the same name.”

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy also ordered a state investigation into Peltola. He said the newspaper's reporting revealed “disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections.” Dunleavy added that “deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.” He noted that the reporting supports earlier findings by the state’s elections board.

Peltola dismissed the claims during a campaign stop in Soldotna. She called the reporting a distraction from issues such as Sen. Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran. “This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion,” she said in a video posted online. “This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions.”

Vice President JD Vance supported a probe into possible election fraud. He said Peltola had pretended for months that she had no involvement with placing a “fraudulent person” on the ballot. “She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it’s disgraceful,” Vance told reporters ahead of a trip to Texas.

Dan J. Sullivan has denied he was running at the behest of Democrats. He said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. “Zero, none, zilch,” he said in June after announcing his run. Earlier this year, a top state elections official ruled Sullivan Jr. ineligible for the primary ballot, concluding his candidacy was filed to confuse voters. The Alaska Supreme Court overturned that ruling and allowed him to run.

On the ballot, voters will see “Dan S. Sullivan” identified as a registered Republican and incumbent. “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” will appear without a party affiliation. Legal experts note that if state courts allow the race to proceed, the federal government generally has no role in challenging the results. Political parties often use extra candidates to pull votes from rivals, a tactic seen in other races such as the Senate contest in Ohio.