Feds trying to crush Dan J. Sullivan because he had the gall to challenge Dan S. Sullivan
The president of the United States and the Justice Department, with the full support of Sen. Dan Sullivan, are abusing our justice system to intimidate Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg and violate his civil rights.
That’s the only way to interpret the news that broke on Election Day that a federal grand jury has issued subpoenas to try to prosecute Petersburg Sullivan on grounds that he was conspiring to trick people into voting for the wrong guy.
This is either going to produce an indictment worse than the reflecting pool scandal or it is simply a heavy-handed scare tactic to get Sullivan to withdraw. Either result would be election interference of the worst kind by the Trump regime.
That the power of the federal government’s law enforcement machinery is being manipulated this way to crush an ordinary individual who is challenging people in power is outrageous.
That this is taking place after Alaskans have been inundated with hundreds of thousands in advertising spent to fool voters into supporting goofball candidates is even worse.
The Dueling Sullivans have had worldwide attention for months and everyone in Alaska who pays any attention knew before the election that one was a senator and the other was not.
If Petersburg Dan is guilty of anything, it’s that he has the same name as a senator he doesn’t like and that put him in a unique position to display his opposition. At 70, he has been a Dan Sullivan for 9 years longer than the senator.
UCLA Law Professor Rick Hasen, one of the leading election law experts in the nation, summarized the risks and the threat to free speech this matter creates: “It would be quite dangerous for the state to start criminally prosecuting people for their political beliefs and secret motives. Are we going to put people on trial and probe their political allegiances?”
“I expect that if J. (Petersburg Dan) is indicted, that these First Amendment issues would loom quite large. Indeed, I would expect any other Administration’s DOJ, Democrat or Republican, not to even consider charges in a case like this given those free speech issues. But the Trump DOJ has been weaponized against the President’s political opponents, and so we will have to watch what happens,” Hasen wrote on the Election Law blog.
Ohio Dan Sullivan, who has claimed repeatedly that Petersburg Dan should never have been allowed to run by the Alaska Supreme Court, should be ashamed of himself for encouraging a federal criminal investigation.
When he protests that he has encouraged no such thing, I will remind him that he told a Wall Street Journal columnist July 22 that a prosecution based on a civil rights violation might be just the thing to stop Petersburg Dan.
“Your paper actually did a good op-ed recently about potential federal actions, civil rights actions,” he told Kim Strassel, lately of Wasilla. “I don't know if the federal government is looking into that, but I think that would be the only other thing,” Sullivan said of the alleged legal options in the matter.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, meanwhile, keeps claiming that he is part of the firewall of freedom.
“We are the firewall for freedom, not just for Alaska, but for America, Right. This seat, it’s not my seat. This is your seat. This is your seat. So that is what’s at stake,” he said in late July.
On primary Election Day, Sullivan went on a national right-wing radio talk show to complain about Petersburg Dan.
But he also let something slip that destroys the flimsy thinking about a crime. He said the way the two of them were listed on the ballot should not be confusing to voters.
That admission by the Firewall for Freedom is tantamount to a confession that the civil rights violation is nonsense.
When Trump took to his social media company to attack Petersburg Dan the other day, he used some of the same words and phrases that Sen. Dan Sullivan has used, mainly the claim that Democrats are treating Alaska voters with contempt. There is no chance that Trump thought of that without assistance from Sullivan’s campaign.
“The Dems are cheating, right? It’s just unbelievable,” Sullivan said on the Clay & Buck right-wing talk show early on Election Day.
“They can’t beat me on my record. They can’t beat me spending millions and millions and millions of Schumer and George Soros dark money, so they decide to recruit this far-left progressive to put his name on the ballot and try to register as a Republican.”
“Alaska, we’re the firewall for freedom in America. If Schumer thinks he’s gonna be able to cheat his way to the majority we’re not gonna let him do that, no in our state. No way,” said Sullivan.
“You Democrats in Alaska and by the way Schumer’s behind this for sure. You guys are treating Alaskans with contempt, with disrespect. So what we’ve been saying is hey don’t let the Democrats steal this election. They can’t win on the merits, get out and vote. And so that’s gonna happen today. And. But it is sad that the Dems got to do that because my opponent has no record and no vision for the future,” said Sullivan.
The poor showing by Sullivan Tuesday had nothing to do with Dan J. Sullivan and everything to do with the popularity of Mary Peltola, who Sullivan said “never showed up for work, didn’t get anything done and got fired by the Alaska people in 2024. Now she wants a promotion to the Senate? I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”
Think again.
Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673.