Two Dan Sullivans: Justice Department steps up bid to block Alaska Senate result
Four days before the midterms, the Justice Department wants to halt certification of Alaska's Senate race if incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, and has issued new subpoenas.
Archive image · Photo: United States Senate / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday amended its civil lawsuit in federal court in Alaska, seeking to block certification of the state's Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses narrowly. The ballot also lists a candidate with the same name, a teacher called Daniel J. Sullivan, whose candidacy the department says is meant to confuse voters and help Democrat Mary Peltola win. Department lawyers wrote that Democrats "orchestrated his sham campaign for the purpose of misleading Alaskan voters and getting Peltola elected."
The amended complaint cites a New York Times report alleging that members of Peltola's campaign helped recruit the second Sullivan. The department also issued a new round of subpoenas in a parallel criminal investigation; Reuters reported about 40 subpoenas and document preservation requests. No one has been charged. President Donald Trump said of the lawsuit: "Well, I'm the one that said, 'Do it.'"
Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny any involvement. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered a separate state investigation. The department acknowledged that many polls show the race, one of seven toss-ups that could decide Senate control, within one or two points.