Justice Department issues new subpoenas in Alaska Senate probe five days before election

The Justice Department has begun issuing a new round of subpoenas in a criminal investigation of Alaska's Senate race, targeting Democratic officials believed to be tied to an effort to recruit a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan to run against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, CBS News reported Thursday ¹. No one involved in the race has been charged with a crime ¹.

The subpoenas follow a New York Times report published Wednesday that described internal emails and text messages about the recruitment effort ¹. The Justice Department amended its civil lawsuit Thursday to add details from that report, calling the situation a "conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the electoral process" ¹.

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A Justice Department official told reporters Thursday there had been a "significant increase in activity" around the Alaska race in the previous 24 hours ¹. The official said prosecutors could use preservation requests to technology companies, search warrants for electronic communications and grand jury subpoenas for documents or testimony ¹.

Asked what federal crimes might apply, the official pointed to two civil rights statutes, 18 U.S.C. Sections 241 and 242 ¹. Section 241 prohibits conspiracies to interfere with federally protected rights, including voting rights; Section 242 covers willful deprivation of rights under color of law ¹. The official said prosecutors might examine whether there was a coordinated effort to trick voters ¹.

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

The official also acknowledged the department was not aware of any confirmed case of an Alaska voter mistakenly casting a ballot for the wrong Dan Sullivan ¹. The official said he had not heard of such a case but that it was hard to tell exactly ¹.

Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied any connection to the effort to put Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot ¹. Daniel S. Sullivan has said in the past he is genuinely interested in running ¹.

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Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy this week ordered Alaska's Department of Public Safety to examine whether the recruitment effort violated state law and whether criminal or civil action is merited ¹. The state inquiry runs alongside the federal criminal probe and the civil suit ¹.

The amended civil complaint argues the court must intervene under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause to let the government enforce the law and prevent a "conspiracy" ¹. It states: "Although what the New York Times reports is not always true, its reporting here aligns with what the United States has been alleging on information and belief. It also aligns with common sense" ¹. Alaska officials have asked a federal judge to dismiss the suit, arguing election administration is a state responsibility ¹.

President Trump has called for Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan to be taken off the ballot ¹. Asked about the Justice Department's lawsuit, he said last week: "Well, I'm the one that said, 'Do it.'" ¹

That matters because the subpoenas arrive five days before the Nov. 3 election, and the department's own officials describe the civil suit as a way to preserve the government's ability to challenge the result later ¹. The pattern is a federal criminal inquiry, a state inquiry and a civil suit all moving at once in a race that could decide Senate control.

The Record

1. Oct 28, 2026The New York Times publishes a report on internal emails and texts about recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan ¹.
2. Oct 29, 2026Gov. Mike Dunleavy orders a state investigation into whether the recruitment effort broke state law ¹.
3. Oct 29, 2026The Justice Department amends its civil suit to add the Times reporting and a Supremacy Clause claim ¹.
4. Oct 29, 2026CBS News reports new federal subpoenas targeting Democratic officials tied to the recruitment effort ¹.

Sources

1. CBS News, “DOJ issues new subpoenas in Alaska Senate probe as officials weigh possible criminal charges” (2026-10-29). cbsnews.com/news/doj-subpoenas-alaska-senate-probe-ballot-su
2. The Guardian, “DoJ reportedly issues subpoenas over same name Alaska candidates” (2026-10-29). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/29/alaska-senate-race-subpo

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