FBI investigates "Decoy Dan" candidate in Alaska and legal dispute could hinder certification of Senate election

The dispute over the Senate seat in Alaska, one of those that could define control of the House, has taken on the shape of a federal case. According to Fox News, FBI agents contacted donors to the so-called "Decoy Dan," a second candidate named Dan Sullivan, to ask if they had been scammed. The Associated Press reported hearing from people in at least two remote communities in Alaska and Massachusetts who had received this contact.

The case involves the alleged attempt by Democrats to take votes from Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, who is seeking re-election. According to the report shown by the channel, there are ongoing civil and criminal investigations, and federal authorities have increased the number of agents in the state. The New York Times, cited by Fox, published that there was a coordinated effort between Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and senior advisors from the party's senatorial committee (DSCC) to recruit "spoiler" candidates. Peltola denies having knowledge of the plan.

The battle in Justice

According to Fox reporter Matt Finn, the Justice Department has asked a federal judge to halt certification of the result in Alaska if Peltola wins until it can be determined whether voters were confused by the second Daniel J. Sullivan. On Friday, the Trump administration also asked that all ballots voting for "Decoy Dan" be separated. Alaska responded that the action is “meritless” and that the request is “inappropriate and not even possible” given the right to vote secrecy. A decision can come at any time. The state reported that it has already received 86,000 mailed ballots.

The governor of Alaska, according to Fox, suggested that the certification could be stopped if irregularities were found. The state is also conducting its own investigation.

Front in Congress

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Republican James Comer, told the channel that he intends to summon three to five people, including former campaign manager Alisa Rios, named as the central source of the Times report. The hearings are scheduled for November 5th and 6th. According to Comer, those involved have not yet agreed to testify and, if they do not appear, they will receive subpoenas. He said he believes Peltola knew about the scheme and wants to find out whether the Democratic National Committee and leader Chuck Schumer participated, in addition to finding out if money was involved.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations, sent requests to preserve documents to people cited in the report, but said Senate investigations would only move forward after Election Tuesday. He asserted that the DSCC and Peltola's campaign lie in denying involvement. Democrats, according to presenter Shannon Bream, also face the argument that the DOJ was being used politically, and Rios had asked the Times to withdraw statements, according to the question asked to the senator.

What's at stake

For Fox, the episode could delay the definition of the winner, as Alaska uses ranked choice voting and there is a three-candidate contest. Bream noted that the outcome may not be known for weeks. Comer went so far as to say that there is a "high possibility" that Peltola will not be sworn in, even if she wins, but stressed that she has not spoken to senators about this.

For the investor, the central point is the uncertainty about control of the Senate, which influences the fiscal, tax and regulatory agenda in Washington and, consequently, the mood of stock markets, interest rates and the dollar. The transcript does not contain market projections. All of the accusations cited come from Republican politicians and the channel's coverage, and Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.