Comer says Peltola may not be sworn into Senate, subpoenas operatives in Alaska 'ghost Dan' case

Representative James Comer, chairman of the US House Oversight Committee, told Fox Business that there is a "strong possibility" that candidate Mary Peltola will not be sworn into the Senate if she wins the election in Alaska. The statement came amid the investigation into the alleged "ghost Dan" scheme, in which a candidate with the same name as Senator Dan Sullivan was included on the ballot to confuse voters.

Comer said he has not spoken to Sen. John Thune about the issue. According to him, the Chamber usually acts within the limits of its own investigations. In the deputy's assessment, Americans can see "loud and clear" what was done in the state.

What the investigation finds

According to presenter Larry, President Donald Trump claimed in recent days that Democrats from Alaska put a man named Dan Sullivan on the ballot to confuse the public and confront Senator Dan Sullivan, who is the incumbent. The presenter classified the case as electoral fraud “at the highest level”. This is the position of the channel and Comer, and not the formal conclusion of any investigation.

Comer said there is "more than enough evidence," in his opinion, to show a conspiracy to deny Alaskans a fair election. He cited text messages exchanged over months, which the press would have revealed: the scoop, according to the deputy, was from the New York Times. The central question, he said, is the size of the conspiracy: whether it was restricted to the campaign, whether Senator Peltola knew ("we believe so," he said), whether the Democratic National Committee participated and whether Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was involved.

Subpoenas and calendar

The Justice Department issued about three dozen new subpoenas, according to information presented in the program. Governor Mike Dunleavy is also conducting his own statewide investigation. Comer said the committee wants to hear from, among others, the former campaign manager linked to the New York Times report. Testimonies would be scheduled for November 5th and 6th, Thursday and Friday.

Guests have not yet confirmed their presence. Comer said the committee has subpoena power and that if witnesses do not appear voluntarily, they will be subpoenaed. He estimated between three and five subpoenas and said he doesn't want to disrupt the work of the Justice Department. For him, the pace of the process can be long.

The deputy also said he believes that witnesses can wait for the election result, in the hope that it will be favorable to them, and try to postpone the process. He further assessed that anyone who considers themselves innocent should want to testify to protect their reputation.

Dispute, ballot and what to observe

The presenter recalled that Alaska's ranked choice voting system produces a dispute with three competitors. According to him, the original intention of the system was to make it difficult to achieve a clear victory. The presenter also criticized the aforementioned candidate, described as a teacher or director of a rural school, with no history in politics and no campaign information on his website for around six months.

Comer said he hopes the case motivates Republican voters to vote on Tuesday. For the market, the episode illustrates the degree of political uncertainty surrounding the composition of the Senate, which influences the fiscal, tax and regulatory agenda in Washington. So far, however, what exists are statements from a Republican congressman and a conservative channel, as well as ongoing investigations, and not judicial conclusions.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.