Justice Department Sends Target Letters to About 20 Democrats in Alaska Senate Candidate Probe

The Justice Department has sent letters to about 20 Democrats telling them they could be targets of its investigation into the recruitment of a second Alaska Senate candidate named Dan Sullivan, according to people familiar with the matter. The letters went out as Alaskans voted Tuesday in a close race between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola. Recipients include elections lawyer Marc Elias, whose firm has represented Peltola, and at least one Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee official. One source said investigators are examining possible donor fraud and conspiracy charges. It is unclear when the letters were sent or whether all recipients got them. A source told Fox News Digital that the department began the probe in July, has issued more than 120 subpoenas, and that some letters were also preservation notices. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the candidate is running only to confuse voters. President Trump said Elias should go to jail and said Chuck Schumer and Elias should be held criminally responsible. Elias called the inquiry a sham and said he would not be intimidated. Democrats deny wrongdoing.

The New Republic and The New York Times, on the left, lead with the unusual timing of the letters on Election Day and with Democratic accusations that the department is being weaponized. Both note Democrats' argument that recruiting candidates, called ballot stacking, is common and not clearly illegal under state law. They feature Trump's remarks about Elias and Schumer, and The New Republic adds his Truth Social posts suggesting the candidate was missing or kidnapped. Fox News, on the right, frames it as an election spoiler probe, uses the nickname "Decoy Dan," and leads with the letters, the 120-plus subpoenas, FBI visits to donors, and Blanche's claim of fraud on the ballot. It gives little space to the Democratic argument about legality. Both sides agree on the roughly 20 letters, Elias as a recipient and the donor fraud and conspiracy angle. Al Jazeera's coverage stands out for quoting Elias's statement at length, while CNBC highlights a civil rights lawyer's warning about threats to democracy.