FBI interviews donors in Alaska as Senate candidate probe expands
Federal agents have begun questioning contributors to Alaska Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan amid a criminal investigation, including visits to donors in remote Alaskan towns and Massachusetts.
Federal investigators have started contacting donors to Dan J. Sullivan, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, to determine whether they were misled about the candidate they supported. An Anchorage-based FBI agent visited a boat dealership in Petersburg, a remote fishing community where Sullivan resides, and left a business card for the shop owner, Charles Flint. Flint, who has known Sullivan for years as a teacher and musician, said he contributed $500 to the campaign and did not feel deceived.
"I don't feel like I've been misled at all," Flint told the Associated Press, adding that he plans to rank Democrat Mary Peltola first on his ballot, followed by Sullivan.
Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said the investigation has been ongoing for several months and that recent reporting on alleged involvement by Peltola's campaign in recruiting Sullivan has prompted a significant increase in law-enforcement resources in the state. Separate FBI agents also visited donors in Sitka and in Groton, Massachusetts, conducting brief, voluntary interviews about the intent behind their contributions.
"They said they were from the FBI and investigating fraud in election contributions," Pat Campbell, a donor from Massachusetts, wrote in a text message to the Associated Press.
The inquiries occur days before the ranked-choice general election, in which former congresswoman Mary Peltola is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. At a recent rally, Peltola denied any involvement in efforts to place additional candidates on the ballot and described the allegations as a "smear campaign" aimed at suppressing voter turnout.