The U.S. Department of Justice has sent more than 20 letters to people connected to an investigation involving the Alaska Senate race, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Some letters identify recipients as potential targets of a criminal investigation, while others instruct them to preserve records.
The New York Times reported that election lawyer Marc Elias and at least one official at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee received target letters. Elias has represented Democratic nominee Mary Peltola. The investigation concerns how a candidate sharing the name of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot, and reportedly examines possible donor fraud and conspiracy charges.
A target letter does not mean its recipient has been charged, nor does it necessarily indicate that charges will follow. Elias said in a statement that he was not surprised the Trump administration’s Justice Department was targeting him and his law firm.
The letters follow a federal judge’s decision on Sunday to dismiss a DOJ lawsuit seeking to delay certification of Alaska’s Senate election if Sullivan lost by a margin potentially affected by voter confusion. The department is appealing that ruling.
The reported investigation comes amid wider disputes over the federal government’s role in election procedures. On Tuesday, the DOJ said it was deploying about 1,000 election monitors and observers nationwide, with much of its focus on urban areas that vote Democratic. The department has defended its election-related actions, saying it enforces federal laws against voting by ineligible people.
John Cusick, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, said the administration’s actions risk intimidating voters and election officials, creating confusion about voting rules and laying groundwork for challenges to ballot counting and certification. “There’s no doubt that the threats are threats to our democracy,” he said.
Sources: CNBC Markets.