DOJ calls Alaska Senate candidate recruitment allegations 'troubling,' seeks ballot segregation

WASHINGTON, DC: The Justice Department has described allegations surrounding the recruitment of an independent Senate candidate in Alaska as “troubling,” as federal investigators examine claims that Democratic operatives sought to use a candidate with the same name as Republican Senator Dan Sullivan to influence the race.

US Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael Heyman said the allegations were being taken seriously but declined to identify the specific crimes, if any, under investigation. The department has also asked a federal court to order the preservation and segregation of ballots that rank independent candidate Daniel J Sullivan.

Alaska US attorney addresses allegations of Democratic candidate recruitment

Speaking at a news conference in Anchorage, Heyman addressed a recent report by The New York Times alleging that operatives connected to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Daniel J Sullivan to run as an independent.

"We are aware of the recent reporting regarding the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, that they orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up Daniel J Sullivan as a sham candidate, and we are taking that extremely seriously," Heyman said.

Heyman described the allegations as "troubling" but cautioned against drawing conclusions before the investigation was complete.

"That's what we do, is we investigate whether a crime has been committed under several theories, so I'm not going to comment on what those theories are, and I'm also not going to put the cart before the horse," he said.

When asked why the department was escalating the matter so close to Election Day, Heyman said that “we're not escalating anything except to the extent that a new article came out."

"This has been going on sort of quietly for several months, with the intent not to escalate anything," he added, saying that investigators would take allegations involving election integrity seriously even days before an election.

Peltola and national Democrats have denied involvement in Daniel J Sullivan's campaign. Peltola said that she was "not interested in tricking voters" and "knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent."

DOJ seeks emergency order to preserve and segregate Alaska Senate ballots

The Trump administration has also sued to prevent Alaska from certifying the Senate election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, citing concerns about possible voter confusion.

The Justice Department requested a preliminary injunction to "ensure the preservation and segregation of ballots that may be impacted by voter confusion." It also sought expedited discovery involving the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, asking the judge to rule by Monday, November 2.

The department's filing argues that Daniel J Sullivan is not genuinely seeking a Senate seat and that his candidacy could mislead voters.

"Daniel J Sullivan does not seek to serve in the US Senate but rather seeks to confuse voters," the filing says. "Accordingly, there will indeed be voter confusion caused by this frivolous candidacy."

The requested ballot segregation would preserve ballots potentially affected by confusion over the two candidates' names while the legal dispute proceeds.