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Democracy & Rule of Law · Report · File No. 261113-450

Newsweek timeline: Trump's Alaska Senate posts and DOJ moves landed within a day

Newsweek logged more than 30 events in the Sullivan-Peltola Senate race. Twice, a Trump post was followed within a day by Justice Department action, and Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche gave different answers on who wanted the lawsuit.

By the Investigations Desk · · 3 min read

Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Todd Blanche
Todd Blanche. Photo: Ryan M. Biller, Public domain

A Newsweek timeline published Friday lines up President Donald Trump's posts about Alaska's U.S. Senate race with the Justice Department's actions in the same contest. It logged more than 30 dated events from April 10 to November 10. Twice this fall, a presidential post was followed within a day by a Justice Department legal action, and twice more the president's words and the department's actions landed on the same news day 1.

Newsweek is clear about the limits. The record does not show that the posts caused the department's moves. The federal inquiry began before the heaviest posting 1.

Where the count stands

As of 10:59 p.m. Eastern on November 12, Alaska's unofficial results showed Democrat Mary Peltola with 125,157 first-choice votes. Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan had 119,357. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, had 4,199 1.

The Associated Press estimated 88 percent of the vote counted and had not called the race. If no candidate tops 50 percent of first-choice votes, Alaska runs its ranked-choice count on November 18. Certification is targeted for November 25 1.

From Channel GOPTrump dodges rigged-election question, calls Massie loserDonald Trump · 525 plays · captioned, with the source named

Posts, subpoenas and a lawsuit

On July 3, ABC News reported that the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the teacher's campaign. On August 18, Reuters reported grand jury subpoenas, the same day Trump urged a vote for "the real Dan Sullivan" 1.

On October 21, Trump posted that the administration was weighing legal options to remove Sullivan Jr. from the ballot. Within a day, the department sued Alaska, asking a judge to block certification of any result his votes could have changed 1.

Asked who ordered the suit, Trump told reporters, "I'm the one that said do it." Blanche later wrote on X that department attorneys wrote the complaint. On CBS, he said he would not discuss his communications with the president, and he would not say whom Trump meant 1.

Donald Trump
I'm the one that said do it
Donald Trump, President, Republican1

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who had endorsed Sullivan, said the department "should never have filed this lawsuit" 1. On November 1, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the suit for lack of standing. The government said it would appeal within two hours 1.

The department's opening brief is not due until December 14, weeks after Alaska plans to certify 1. On November 10, Trump demanded that every vote for the teacher go to the senator, a step Alaska's ballot does not allow 1.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny recruiting Sullivan Jr., who has said he entered on his own. The New York Times reported on October 28 that people tied to the campaign helped him onto the ballot. Its report relied partly on a fired former campaign manager who later tried to retract her comments 1.

Why it matters

That matters because the Justice Department is supposed to act on law and evidence, not on a president's posts. The pattern is still open to dispute, and Newsweek does not claim a cause. But the president says he gave an order, and his attorney general says he does not know to whom 1.

It fits a wider fight. On Thursday, NPR reported, the White House warned Rep. Robert Garcia, the Democrat expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, about Democratic investigations. Garcia said Democrats will not be deterred by threats from the Justice Department or the president's lawyers 2.

The Record

  1. ABC News reports the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.'s campaign 1.
  2. Trump posts that the administration is weighing legal options to remove Sullivan Jr. from the ballot; the department sues Alaska within a day 1.
  3. Judge Sharon Gleason dismisses the Justice Department suit for lack of standing; the government says it will appeal 1.
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Sources

  1. Newsweek, “Dan Sullivan Timeline: How Trump's Posts Tracked DOJ's Alaska Senate Fight” (2026-11-13). newsweek.com/dan-sullivan-timeline-how-trumps-posts-tracked-
  2. NPR, “TRUMP HILL FIGHT” (2026-11-12). npr.org/2026/11/12/nx-s1-6037548/trump-hill-fight

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