ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The FBI began contacting Dan J. Sullivan’s donors Friday to ask questions about possible deception, as federal authorities step up their investigation into the U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska who shares a name with the outgoing Republican president.
An Anchorage-based FBI agent visited a boat dealership in Petersburg, a small fishing community accessible only by air or sea where the candidate lives. The agent left a business card with Charles Flint, who told the Associated Press he knew Dan J. Sullivan for years as a respected teacher and musician.
The FBI visit came after federal officials confirmed there was a criminal investigation into the candidate. The U.S. Justice Department also sought a court order Friday to isolate certain Alaska ballots for investigation. potential voter confusion.
Flint contributed $500 over the summer to what he considered a long-term campaign, saying he knew Dan J. Sullivan would have expenses and respect him for “throwing his hat in the ring”. Flint said the FBI agent asked his son, who works at the dealership, if Flint felt he had been “misled” about which candidate he supported.
“I don’t feel like I was misled at all,” Flint, who was out of town, told the AP in a telephone interview, adding that he had no plans to call the agent but would “let him waste his time trying to find me.”
“I don’t think there’s any confusion,” he said, adding that he intends to put Democrat Mary Peltola first on his ballot, followed by Dan J. Sullivan. “Everyone knows who the incumbent is.”
Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters in Anchorage that the federal investigation has been underway for several months, but recent revelations from The New York Times that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruitment Dan J. Sullivan, retired teacher resulted in a “significant increase in law enforcement resources in Alaska.”
These developments come just days before Tuesday’s general election, in a potentially pivotal race in which Peltola, a former congresswoman, is challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
At a campaign rally in Anchorage on Friday, Peltola again denied any involvement in a scheme to put candidates on the ballot to distract from the incumbent senator.
She said she was “deeply offended” by the allegations, which she called “disgusting” and part of a “smear campaign” aimed at suppressing participation in the run-up to the election.
“I know I can beat Dan Sullivan. I don’t need any help to win this race,” she told a small group of campaign volunteers at an Anchorage aviation museum. ___ Mustian reported from New York. Associated Press reporter Becky Bohrer contributed reporting from Juneau, Alaska.
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