Trump Says Peltola Should Be Prosecuted and Pulled From Alaska Ballot as DOJ Grand Jury Subpoenas Widen, Source Says

Since the New York Times reported on Oct. 28 that Mary Peltola's senior advisers and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staff helped recruit a second Dan Sullivan, the dispute has moved from the campaign trail toward a grand jury. Alaska voters finish casting ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Trump and Vance escalate

Speaking at a South Carolina rally Thursday, Oct. 29, President Trump called the episode "voter fraud at the highest level." He said Peltola "should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, and so should the fake Dan Sullivan." "I think it's a criminal act, what they did," Trump said.

Earlier Thursday, before leaving for the rally, Trump was asked whether Peltola should be seated if she wins. "Well, you're going to have to see what happens," he said. "It's hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run."

Vice President JD Vance backed an investigation the same day. "She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it's disgraceful," he told reporters before a campaign trip to Texas.

Trump has not said what legal mechanism would remove a candidate from a ballot that voters are already marking.

What DOJ is doing

The Justice Department is issuing new grand jury subpoenas, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The subpoenas seek testimony or documents, and some are records-preservation demands. The person said more were expected Thursday.

The recipients and the number of subpoenas have not been disclosed. The potential targets of the investigation are also unclear. No charges have been announced.

The department has been examining for months whether Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. entered the race to siphon votes from Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The Times report appears to have accelerated that work.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Fox News interview Wednesday that he would not discuss any criminal investigation. He did accuse Democrats of "cheating." "They are trying to take votes away from the incumbent, not by running an election, not by running on issues but by putting up a person with the same name," Blanche said.

Separately, DOJ sued Alaska election officials last week to block certification of the Senate result if Sullivan loses by a margin he could have overcome had votes for Daniel J. Sullivan gone to him. On Wednesday, DOJ told the court it was withdrawing its opposition to the Peltola campaign's motion to intervene.

What the campaign and the candidate say

Peltola has dismissed the story. "This is just another distraction. It's another diversion," she said at a stop in Soldotna on Wednesday, arguing it pulls attention from Sullivan's support for the war in Iran. "This is all stuff to sell newspapers," she said.

Her campaign, Alaskans for Mary, told TIME it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." It added that it has made no assertions in federal court about how Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy came about or who was involved in his decision to run. The DSCC said it was "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan."

Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, has long denied running at Democrats' behest. "Zero, none, zilch," he said in June.

The contrary account comes from Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was pushed out in an August staff shake-up. Rios told the Times that Peltola did not take part in the recruitment but was "definitely aware" of it. The Times also reviewed text messages showing the campaign and the DSCC discussed the recruitment for months. Those allegations remain unproven.

The legal question

The Times noted that ballot-stacking tactics are common, generally considered legal, and have been used by both parties in Alaska. What is at issue is whether this operation crossed from hardball into a crime or a civil violation. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an inquiry into whether the campaign should face criminal charges or civil penalties.

Dunleavy, a Republican, wrote that the reporting "reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska's elections." He said it "substantially supports" earlier findings by the state elections board. A top state elections official ruled earlier this year that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.'s filing was made "with a purpose to confuse or mislead." The Alaska Supreme Court then ruled he was qualified to run and kept him on the ballot.

The ballot features Peltola, both Sullivans and Gerald Heikes.

DOJ has not said who received subpoenas. Whether grand jury testimony will surface before Tuesday is unknown. Trump has not committed to accepting a Peltola win, and the certification lawsuit is positioned to decide what happens if the margin is close.