Trump Says Peltola Should Quit and Face Prosecution as DOJ Seeks Discovery in Alaska Ballot Case
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola should drop out of the race and face criminal charges over a candidate who shares Sen. Dan Sullivan’s name.
“Mary Peltola should resign from the race. I think she should be prosecuted criminally for what she did,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for a rally in Ohio, the New York Post reported.
He said allies who helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, onto the ballot against the Republican incumbent should also be charged. “To me, that’s voter fraud at the highest level,” the president said.
Trump’s remarks came hours after a New York Times report said top Peltola aides helped recruit the second Sullivan. Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, told the paper the candidate was not directly involved but was “definitely aware.”
Peltola’s campaign said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign” and pointed to examples of Republican-backed spoiler efforts in Democratic races. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has denied taking part in the effort.
DOJ changes course in court
The Justice Department also shifted its strategy Wednesday in its lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying a Peltola win while Daniel J. Sullivan remains on the ballot, the Washington Examiner reported.
In a three-page court notice, the department dropped its opposition to letting Alaskans for Mary and the DSCC join the case, citing a change in circumstances after the Times report.
The notice says the reporting described a campaign that “orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up a sham candidate.” Department lawyers still oppose other groups that asked to join the case.
The department is also seeking expedited discovery into whether the Peltola campaign pushed for a quick dismissal because it knew the damaging report was coming before it ran.
Alaska election officials have asked U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason to throw out the suit. The state argues it has taken “significant steps” to separate the two Sullivans on the ballot, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
The state also said the federal government lacks authority to intervene in state elections “at all, much less in support of a favored candidate.” Ballots label the senator as the incumbent and list each man’s initials.
Gleason put the state’s motion on a fast track, ordering the government to respond by Thursday and Alaska to reply by Friday. A ruling could come as early as Friday night.
The criminal side of the case is also moving. A Justice Department investigation into how Daniel J. Sullivan got on the ballot has been underway for months and is being handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Alaska.
The stakes are high in one of the closest Senate races in the country. Peltola finished first in the August open primary and holds a narrow lead in polling averages ahead of the Nov. 3 ranked-choice election.
Peltola is the only Democrat on the four-candidate general election ballot after Democrat David Leslie, who also advanced from the primary, dropped out under pressure from party leaders.
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