President Donald Trump speculated on Monday that lawyers were hiding Alaska Senate candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and coaching him to avoid prosecution, while calling for Democrat Mary Peltola to face criminal charges over an alleged effort to confuse voters.
Trump accused senior Democrats of involvement in the alleged scheme and said the lawyers involved should be treated as criminals. He wrote:
The reason nobody can find the FAKE Dan Sullivan is that the Lawyers have “scooped” him up, and are hiding him as they teach him, step by step, what to say in order to avoid one of the Greatest Fraud Prosecutions in American History! The lawyers involved in this case are Criminals, and should be treated as such. The Highest Levels of the Dumocrat Party are involved in this Criminal Endeavor. Peltola should be forced to resign, and charged, along with FAKE Candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., who is now, MISSING IN ACTION!
It was reported that Sullivan departed Petersburg before the election, but his subsequent whereabouts were unclear.
The dispute intensified after an October 28 New York Times investigation described efforts involving people connected to Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to recruit candidates who could hurt the Republican incumbent.
According to Alaska Public Media’s account of the investigation, campaign aides directed a staff member to search for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan. The reporting raised new questions about how the Petersburg retiree entered the race and who helped arrange his candidacy.
Former Peltola staffer Elisa Rios told the Times that Peltola did not take a direct role in the recruitment effort but knew about it, according to ABC News. Peltola has denied knowing about the plan.
Federal prosecutors have confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said on October 30 that investigators had been working on the matter for months and that the Times’ reporting prompted additional investigative work in Alaska and elsewhere.
