The Justice Department issued a wave of subpoenas in Alaska and California on Thursday, days before the midterm elections, according to people familiar with the investigations who spoke to the Associated Press and other outlets.
In California, all four US attorneys in the state issued subpoenas to election officials, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move came a day after a federal judge rejected a Justice Department demand that California set aside ballots until citizenship could be verified, then appointed a special master to examine the administration’s claim that about 20,000 noncitizens sit on the state’s voter rolls.
Los Angeles County registrar Dean Logan denounced the subpoenas as intimidation. In a statement, he said election officials are acting in accordance with state and federal law.
In Alaska, prosecutors issued dozens of new grand jury subpoenas and records preservation notices in a criminal investigation into a Senate candidate who shares a name with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The subpoenas followed a New York Times report that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retiree, as part of an alleged effort to confuse voters in the hotly contested race.
Peltola’s campaign has denied involvement in the other Sullivan’s candidacy. President Donald Trump earlier in the week called for Peltola and her campaign to face criminal prosecution. The Justice Department has said its election-related work aims to safeguard votes, while critics have said the timing, days before voters go to the polls, risks influencing the election.
Source: CNN
