Trump's DOJ escalates Alaska Senate probe as president demands Dem candidate Mary Peltola be prosecuted

Federal prosecutors have widened a criminal inquiry into Alaska's U.S. Senate contest, sending out fresh grand jury subpoenas, according to an anonymous source who spoke with The Associated Press. Recipients are unknown, though more subpoenas are expected. Investigators are examining whether a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan Jr. entered the race to draw votes away from Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, who shares the name, according to MS NOW · The Independent.

The move came as President Donald Trump demanded that Democratic nominee Mary Peltola and her campaign be prosecuted, and suggested she might not be seated even if victorious. The New York Times reported that interviews, texts and legal documents indicated her team tried to recruit candidates to split Republican support. Peltola says she knew nothing of other candidates besides herself and the incumbent. Dan J. Sullivan Jr. says he had no contact with her campaign.

Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Democrats of cheating, Vice President JD Vance backed an election-fraud probe, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state investigation. A state elections official barred Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the primary, but the Alaska Supreme Court allowed the candidacy.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW · The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW · The Independent →