Justice Department speeds up Alaska election probe after new evidence
Federal prosecutors have issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas in Alaska as they investigate whether Democratic operatives recruited a decoy Senate candidate to confuse voters, following a New York Times report.
The Justice Department accelerated a criminal investigation into alleged efforts by Alaska Democrats to recruit a Senate candidate intended to split the Republican vote. After a New York Times report provided investigators with previously unavailable material, federal prosecutors issued more than 40 grand jury subpoenas and record-preservation notices on the same day, with additional subpoenas expected.
The probe focuses on Daniel J. Sullivan, a candidate dubbed “Decoy Dan,” whose presence on the ballot was contested by Republican officials but upheld by the state supreme court. The investigation, previously hampered by the recusal of U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman, is now being led by career prosecutors and officials from the Civil Rights Division.
Department officials said the actions are standard, time-sensitive law-enforcement work aimed at protecting the integrity of the vote, not influencing the election outcome. They also indicated that civil-rights charges, including a deprivation-of-rights count, are being considered.
“I think they should be prosecuted,” President Donald Trump said, describing the alleged scheme as “voter fraud at the highest level.”
Separately, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to delay certification of the Senate race results if the ranked-choice votes for the decoy candidate could affect the outcome. The filing cites excerpts from the Times report and alleges that the Peltola campaign and a national Democratic Party office submitted misleading arguments about the recruitment effort. Alaska’s Republican-led elections office has moved to dismiss the suit, arguing it aims to sow doubt about the contest.
Critics have described the lawsuit as political maneuvering, while Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department is conducting its own research and declined to comment on conversations with the president. Some officials view the suit as a “preservation” measure that could allow challenges to the election results if necessary.