Trump administration amends lawsuit to challenge Alaska Senate result if Sullivan narrowly loses

Washington, United States. President Donald Trump’s administration filed an amended lawsuit on Thursday asking a court to block Alaska’s election results should Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan lose by a narrow margin. A person familiar with the matter said the Justice Department has also sent out more than 40 subpoenas and document requests as part of its investigation.

What the amended complaint says

The revised filing by the US Justice Department relies on a New York Times report. According to that report, Democratic operatives brought in a further candidate with the surname Sullivan who might pull votes away from the incumbent. The department said the aim was to deceive voters and help Democratic candidate Mary Peltola win.

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In the complaint, Justice Department lawyers referred to a retired teacher, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who appears on the ballot with no party affiliation. They wrote: “They orchestrated his sham campaign for the purpose of misleading Alaskan voters and getting Peltola elected.”

Stakes for Senate control

The lawsuit points to a possible messy dispute over a race that could decide which party controls the US Senate in the midterm elections next Tuesday. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control.

Reaction from Alaska’s governor

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy urged a state investigation into the allegation. In an interview with News Nation, he said that a finding of illegality “may in fact impact whether someone is seated in the US Senate.”

The New York Times report and the denials

The Times reported on Wednesday that Peltola’s aides worked with campaign lawyers and staff at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to recruit two candidates who could draw votes from Sullivan, the Republican incumbent. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. was one of them. Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, who was fired in August, told the newspaper that Peltola knew about the effort.

Peltola’s campaign did not immediately respond to the amended complaint. It had earlier said it played no part in either of the Sullivan campaigns. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied any involvement and accused Republicans of backing candidates of their own in other races. Daniel J. Sullivan has previously told US news outlets in interviews that he does not intend to cause confusion or divert votes from Dan S. Sullivan.

Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the Times report.