Has ‘Fake’ Alaska Senate Candidate ‘Disappeared’ Amid FBI Recruitment Probe?

President Trump and others claimed Tuesday that an independent Alaska Senate candidate who shares a name with Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan has vanished days before the state’s pivotal midterm election, alleging Democratic lawyers may be hiding him.“FAKE ALASKA CANDIDATE DANIAL J. SULLIVAN, JR., IS MISSING IN ACTION! HE HAS TOTALLY DISAPPEARED, GONE! NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND HIM. MAYBE HE HAS BEEN ‘KIDNAPPED’ BY THE CORRUPT DUMOCRAT LAWYERS??? THEY ARE SCARED STIFF OF BEING PROSECUTED FOR ELECTION FRAUD!!!” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.That post followed one on Monday, when the president said on Truth Social, “The reason nobody can find the FAKE Dan Sullivan is that the Lawyers have ‘scooped’ him up, and are hiding him as they teach him, step by step, what to say in order to avoid one of the Greatest Fraud Prosecutions in American History!”The claims come amid mounting scrutiny of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired Petersburg schoolteacher running as an independent against incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola. A New York Times investigation reported that Democratic operatives linked to Ms. Peltola’s campaign had recruited Daniel J. Sullivan to run — a report that has since triggered a Justice Department criminal probe and a civil lawsuit from the Trump administration seeking to block certification of the election results should Senator Sullivan narrowly lose.The Peltola campaign has denied any involvement. “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” a spokesman told Newsweek, adding that the campaign is “focused on lowering costs and fixing the rigged system in DC.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee similarly told ABC News it is “not involved with Dan J. Sullivan.”Daniel J. Sullivan has largely vanished from public view. His Facebook page, which has 760 followers, hasn’t posted since September 30, and his Instagram account has no posts at all. CBS News reported that a local resident last spotted him on Monday, October 26. Conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who has ties to the Trump administration, said on X that he staked out Mr. Sullivan’s house for more than two days and “couldn’t detect even the slightest movements.” Mr. Sortor alleged Mr. Sullivan had since boarded a flight out of state after learning of the Times report. The incumbent delivered his own theory when he addressed votes Monday on television. “To all Alaskans, if you’re watching, do not let the cheating scheme work. The scheme is working. The decoy guy, who evidently fled to the Bahamas or something, is on the ballot. He’s not campaigning. The scheme is working. Alaskans, do not let the scheme work,” he said.Asked about the “fake” label in October, the other Mr. Sullivan pushed back to HuffPost: “How could I be a fake Dan Sullivan? That is my real name!”The race remains a toss-up, with Ms. Peltola holding a narrow lead over Senator Sullivan in final polling. The Justice Department has since issued a new round of subpoenas targeting Democratic officials believed to be tied to the recruitment effort. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the episode “cheating” and “fraud” in a recent Fox News interview, and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a separate state investigation, saying Alaskans “deserve the truth” and have “a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support.”The confusion has already shown up at the polls. In footage captured by NewsNation, voter Greg Martone admitted he may have accidentally voted for Daniel J. Sullivan instead of the incumbent senator he intended to support. “I might just be having a brain freeze, but I don’t remember the second Dan Sullivan,” he said, adding, “I’m hoping he [Senator Sullivan] was on top.”Both candidates appear on the ballot, distinguished only by middle initial and the word “incumbent.”Mr. Trump has thrown his full weight behind the sitting senator. In a separate Truth Social post on Tuesday, he urged Alaskans to “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR DAN,” warning that “the Dumocrats are trying to steal this Race” and that “many votes will be lost” to confusion over the two names on the ballot.

Has ‘Fake’ Alaska Senate Candidate ‘Disappeared’ Amid FBI Recruitment Probe?

Has ‘Fake’ Alaska Senate Candidate ‘Disappeared’ Amid FBI Recruitment Probe?

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