FBI questions donors of Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan in Alaska voter fraud probe
FBI agents visited donors of Dan J. Sullivan's Senate campaign in Southeast Alaska as part of a federal voter fraud investigation, days before the November 3 vote.
FBI knocks on doors of Dan J. Sullivan donors in Southeast Alaska
Federal agents visited campaign donors in Petersburg, Sitka and Juneau this weekend as part of a federal investigation into alleged voter fraud, alaskapublic.org reports. The visits targeted supporters of Dan J. Sullivan, who is running for U.S. Senate in Alaska, just days before the 3 November election.
Barry Bracken, a Petersburg resident and independent voter who has known Sullivan for over 40 years, was among those contacted. Two plainclothes FBI agents rang his doorbell on Friday and identified themselves before asking whether he had donated to the campaign voluntarily.
"They basically asked me whether I had voluntarily donated to Dan," Bracken said. "And I said yes that we had — and, maybe a little bit snarky — I made the comment that I would not have donated to the other Dan Sullivan."
Bracken said the visit left him increasingly frustrated. "The more I think about it, the more angry I become, and it's a waste of taxpayer money," he said.
Same name, different candidate
The investigation centres on the fact that the Petersburg Sullivan shares his full name with Alaska's incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, who is seeking re-election in a race that could determine which party controls the Senate. A New York Times article alleged that Democrats recruited Dan J. Sullivan as a spoiler candidate to cause voter confusion.
Alaska's federal attorney Michael Heyman on Friday referenced a "surge" in FBI resources deployed to the state following that report. The Trump administration had filed a lawsuit to block certification of election results if the incumbent Sullivan narrowly lost, citing potential voter confusion. A U.S. District judge dismissed that lawsuit on Sunday.
Donors describe visits as brief but unsettling
Multiple donors who spoke with KFSK described their interactions with the agents as "brief" and "professional," but said the visits felt like voter harassment.
Paul Johnsen, an independent voter in Petersburg who donated $500 to Dan J. Sullivan's campaign, said the FBI asked him only two questions on Saturday: whether he intended to donate to a Senate campaign, and which Dan Sullivan he had in mind.
"I said, 'Petersburg Dan Sullivan,' and I think that's all they wanted to know, and they left," Johnsen said. He characterised the visits as interference "generated by [the] Trump administration."
Democrat Erica Kludt-Painter, who spoke with agents at her home in Petersburg, said she considered the visits an unnecessary use of resources. "People can like or not like how Dan J. Sullivan entered the race or is running his campaign, but he has a legal right to be on the ballot," she said. "I, as a voter in the state of Alaska, have the right to donate to any campaign I want. And I have the right to vote for who I want, without feeling threatened by our own government."
One donor gave a second time after hearing about the visits
Linda Slaght, a Petersburg resident who supports Dan J. Sullivan, said she was not contacted by agents herself, but donated to the campaign a second time after learning of the FBI visits.
"Obviously it's election interference," she said. "And there's probably an element of voter intimidation because while a lot of people have voted early, a lot of us are waiting to vote on Tuesday, and I really feel like they're trying to put their thumb on the scales."
Slaght also pointed to the financial toll the campaign has faced. "Because of all this harassment, he had to spend a lot of his money on legal fees just to get the right to be on the ballot," she said. "And I think he had a good message to share, but he hasn't been able to get it out because he's been busy fighting all these false allegations."
FBI declines to comment
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. Dan J. Sullivan, contacted by KFSK, also declined to comment.
The weekend visits are the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Sullivan's candidacy that have drawn national attention to the small island community of Petersburg ahead of Tuesday's vote.
Source: Google News MT