The Justice Department has stepped up a criminal investigation tied to Alaska's U.S. Senate race. It has sent letters telling a prominent Democratic attorney and others that they are targets of the inquiry, the Associated Press reported through PBS News, citing people who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The investigation centers on a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who shares a name with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The incumbent is running against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. The Trump administration is investigating whether the retired teacher's candidacy was an effort to confuse voters and pull votes away from the senator.
One of the letters went to Marc Elias, a lawyer who has represented Democratic campaigns and the party in election cases for years and has been a frequent Trump target. A target letter is sometimes sent to someone prosecutors plan to indict, but it does not necessarily mean charges will follow.
The probe gained momentum after The New York Times reported last week that Peltola's campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting the second Sullivan. The department has issued more than 100 subpoenas, according to one person briefed on the case, and FBI agents visited donors to the retired teacher's campaign over the weekend.
Alaska's U.S. attorney, Michael Heyman, said the new information led to a "significant surge of law enforcement assets" in the state, but he would not say what crimes were being examined. Peltola said she knew nothing about the effort and is "not interested in tricking voters." Democrats have denied any role, and the retired teacher has long denied running at their request.
Recruiting spoiler candidates is a tactic both parties have used for decades without criminal scrutiny. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department is taking it seriously but declined to discuss the letters.
Sources: PBS News, The Associated Press