DOJ accuses Peltola, Democrats of misleading a federal court

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday accused Mary Peltola of misleading a federal court in the latest filing in its lawsuit seeking to block certification of the Alaska Senate election.

“Apparently emboldened by the success of their reported plot to deceive Alaskan voters, Alaskans For Mary and the DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] appear to have turned to misleading this Court,” the amended complaint filed Thursday read.

“They orchestrated this sham campaign for the purpose of misleading Alaskan voters and getting Peltola elected,” it added.

The DOJ’s lawsuit, initially filed last week, argues that the U.S. Senate election in Alaska will be invalid unless incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) wins amid voter confusion about a candidate with the same name as the incumbent also appearing on the ballot.

The latest filing cites The New York Times’s recent report that Peltola’s campaign was directly involved in recruiting someone with the same name as her opponent , the incumbent senator.

“Although what the New York Times reports is not always true, its reporting here aligns with what the United States has been alleging on information and belief,” the filing read. “It also aligns with common sense.”

Even if Peltola’s campaign did indeed recruit Dan J. Sullivan, the additional candidate, that action would not be against the law, Scott Kendall, an Alaskan lawyer and former GOP operative, told The Hill .

“These allegations don’t make the Department of Justice’s case a better case,” Kendall said. “There’s no basis for this lawsuit.”

Kendall said ballot-stacking “can be a nasty, dirty trick” and “there can be bad motives behind it, but according to our Alaska Supreme Court, which is empowered to interpret Alaska law, it is not illegal.”

The DOJ has also issued dozens of subpoenas in connection with the case, which have been sent to Peltola’s Senate campaign offices as well as the offices of Dan J. Sullivan.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) on Wednesday ordered an investigation into whether Peltola’s campaign violated state law in the alleged scheme. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee also launched an investigation into the former Democratic lawmaker.

In a Truth Social post Wednesday, President Trump said Peltola should face legal and political consequences. He has also said Peltola should not be allowed to run for Senate after the allegations.

Peltola, on Thursday, denied any knowledge of the alleged ballot-stacking scheme, saying she “knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent.”

Her campaign has also denied any involvement in the matter.

The competitive race in Alaska leans narrowly in favor of the Democrat, whom nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ gives a 60 percent chance of winning.