Justice Department sends target letters to Democrats over Alaska ballot investigation

Summary

The Justice Department has sent target letters to Democrats, including a top Democratic election lawyer and other lawmakers, saying they could be targets of a federal investigation into an alleged scheme to get an Alaska man with the same name as Republican Senator Dan Sullivan onto the ballot to confuse voters. The Guardian reports the move is very unusual, because the department has long avoided actions that could affect an election close to election day, and target letters are rarely sent this early in an investigation; receiving one does not mean a person will be charged with a crime. CNBC, citing reports, says the letters went to Democrats in the Alaska Senate criminal probe, and quotes John Cusick, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, saying, "There's no doubt that the threats are threats to our democracy."

Timeline

1. CNBC

   3 Nov 2026, 20:33 UTCSource ↗

   CNBC reports that the Trump Justice Department sent target letters to Democrats in an Alaska Senate criminal probe, and quotes John Cusick of the Legal Defense Fund calling the threats "threats to our democracy."

2. The Guardian

   3 Nov 2026, 22:12 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports the Justice Department sent letters to a top Democratic election lawyer and other Democrats saying they could be targets of a federal investigation into an alleged scheme to get an Alaska man with the same name as Republican senator Dan Sullivan on the ballot.