The FBI is stepping up its criminal investigation into Alaska’s alleged “decoy” candidate scheme as election officials continue counting ballots in the state’s closely contested Senate race.
Two people familiar with the inquiry told Our News Outlet that federal agents questioned Elisa Rios, a former campaign manager for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, on Election Day.
According to the sources, FBI agents approached Rios in Chicago on Tuesday.
One source characterized the investigation as moving “full speed ahead.”
Rios is alleged to have played a role in recruiting another candidate named Dan Sullivan, matching the name of Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan. Investigators are examining whether the effort was intended to confuse voters and divert support from the sitting senator.
Peltola has denied any connection to the alleged operation. She leads Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes, with about 75 percent of the ballots counted, according to the Associated Press.
A final result may not be known for weeks. Alaska’s vast geography and largely rural population can make vote counting especially slow.
The second Dan Sullivan has received roughly 3,500 votes, giving his candidacy the potential to influence the outcome.
Conservatives have expressed concern that the so-called “decoy” candidate could siphon enough votes from the Republican incumbent to hand Peltola the victory.
“What they said could happen appears to be happening,” a source familiar with the Department of Justice investigation told Our News Outlet.
Mary Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC are under investigation after a New York Times report alleged they recruited a “decoy” candidate to improve her chances of winning Alaska’s Senate seat
Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan has objected to the presence of a “decoy” candidate who shares his name
In a New York Times report, Rios said Peltola “definitely” knew about an effort involving the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to recruit another Sullivan and improve her chances of winning the seat.
Rios said she left Peltola’s campaign in August during a broader staff reorganization, only a few months before Election Day. She did not explain the reason for her sudden departure.
Cheryl Bruce, who had been the campaign’s deputy manager, succeeded her.
The Times cited 12 sources, along with text messages and documents, in reporting that operatives connected to Peltola’s campaign helped recruit Dan Sullivan 2.0. The alleged initiative was reportedly referred to internally as the “ballot composition project.”
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC denied involvement, while Peltola said she “knew nothing” about the effort.
Rios, however, maintained in her account to the Times that Peltola was aware of the alleged plan.
A week before the Times published its report, Rios—who had been preparing to file a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Peltola campaign—said she wanted to retract her earlier comments.
“I am not willing to be a source for any story in any capacity,” Rios told the Times.
Dan Sullivan 2.0 has repeatedly said he entered the race independently and had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. However, he left his hometown two days before the Times report appeared and has not been located since.
Senator Sullivan’s campaign described the allegations as “the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska.”
Dan Sullivan 2.0 reportedly left his hometown of Petersburg last week and has not been heard from since
The Times report was published after nearly one in 10 registered Alaskans had already cast ballots. Governor Mike Dunleavy subsequently ordered an investigation into the Peltola campaign.
Even before the report emerged, the Justice Department had sued Alaska election officials, seeking to prevent certification if Sullivan lost the race.
But an Alaska judge rejected the DOJ’s lawsuit earlier this week, blocking the Trump administration’s preemptive legal effort.
The Justice Department argued that Daniel J. Sullivan, whom the Trump administration dubbed “Decoy Dan,” entered the contest as a “frivolous candidate to confuse voters.”
U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the Trump administration lacked standing to bring the case. The lawsuit sought to require Alaska to segregate ballots if Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan lost his reelection bid to Peltola.
The DOJ has appealed the ruling.
A separate investigation by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee is also advancing.
Committee investigators requested an in-person interview with Rios on Wednesday.
“If you do not voluntarily appear for the interview, we will be forced to evaluate the use of compulsory process,” the committee warned.
A committee source told Our News Outlet that the transcribed interview is no longer expected to take place this week. The committee remains in contact with Rios’ attorney and lawyers representing the second Dan Sullivan, the source said.
Rios did not respond to Our News Outlet’s request for comment. The Peltola campaign was also contacted about the FBI’s interaction with Rios.
The heated midterm contest remains unsettled, with the outcome still unclear after Election Day.
Neither candidate has claimed victory, although both have expressed confidence as roughly 75 percent of the vote has been reported.
Sullivan, who trails Peltola narrowly, said he expects to win and described the early returns as “promising.”
Peltola, meanwhile, said she was looking forward to taking “our state back.”
Alaska’s Senate race has become one of the country’s most contentious midterm contests
