The Gateway Pundit (TGP) reports that the Justice Department has escalated a criminal probe into an alleged same-name candidate scheme in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, with more than 40 new grand jury subpoenas and records-preservation demands issued just days before voting. TGP attributes the figure to Reuters and “multiple reports.”
What’s being investigated
TGP describes the inquiry as focused on an alleged effort to recruit a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan to confuse voters and siphon support. The outlet refers to the controversy as involving a “Decoy Dan.”
Who reportedly received subpoenas
According to TGP’s account of Reuters and other media, the subpoenas and preservation requests surpassed 40 and “reportedly” reached both Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign and the campaign of Daniel J. Sullivan, a Republican candidate with the same surname as the incumbent. Additional demands were expected, per those reports. No recipients were officially confirmed in the TGP article.
What DOJ may be weighing
TGP says no one has been charged. The outlet reports that DOJ officials have pointed to potential civil rights statutes—18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242—related to conspiracy or deprivation of voting rights. TGP also says the department amended an existing civil lawsuit seeking to block certification of results if voter confusion from two Sullivans affects the outcome, incorporating details from a “Times” report and arguing there was coordinated election interference.
Public statements and denials
TGP quotes “Attorney General Todd Blanche” on Fox News as saying, “They are cheating! Let’s call it what it is, they are cheating. They are trying to take votes away from the incumbent… by putting up a person with the same [name] so they’d confuse Alaskans,” and predicting more DOJ action.
The outlet also reports that President Trump publicly called for consequences for Peltola and the second Sullivan, labeled the effort “voter fraud at the highest level,” and said he directed the DOJ lawsuit.
According to TGP, Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have denied involvement in recruiting spoilers.
Parallel state probe
TGP reports that Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state investigation through the Department of Public Safety. In a written statement quoted by the outlet, Dunleavy said a Times report “reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates, including one with the same name as an incumbent U.S. Senator, to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes.” He added: “Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support. Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections. Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable.”
What we don’t know
TGP’s article relies on other outlets for key details and does not include official DOJ confirmation of the total subpoena count, the full list of recipients, or the current status of the referenced civil lawsuit. As of the report, no charges had been filed.
