Below is my column on the return of Marc Elias in another campaign controversy with the Alaskan decoy scandal. The Elias Law Group and other lawyers were tied to the effort to confuse Alaskan voters by The New York Times in its recent investigative report. These lawyers presumably have a growing conflict of interest as dozens of subpoenas shower down on Alaska. What is clear is that this scandal will not end on Tuesday and, if the results are close in favor of Democrat Mary Peltola, there could be a major fight over her taking her seat in the Senate.
Here is the column:
Marc Elias is back. The notorious Democratic lawyer who played a critical role in the 2016 Russia hoax is again in the news. His law firm has been identified by the New York Times as part of the expanding scandal involving Democratic effort to confuse voters in Alaska with a decoy candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan.
For those familiar with Elias’s checkered history, this is a case of rounding up the usual suspects.
The scandal involving Democratic candidate Mary Peltola has quickly snowballed this week. A New York Times blockbuster investigative report quotes former staff who claim she knew of a cynical effort by her own campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to confuse voters by recruiting and fielding a decoy “Dan Sullivan” candidate in the race against incumbent Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan (R-Alaska). State and federal investigations are now unfolding, with dozens of federal subpoenas raining down on Alaska.
The effort to get voters to cast mistaken ballots is grossly unethical and, even in these rage-filled times, a uniquely disgraceful scheme. Peltola and the Democratic Party had long denied any involvement in the other Sullivan’s candidacy. So when the Times produced evidence that she allegedly knew, and that Democratic staffers and lawyers had been deeply involved from the beginning, many of us were surprised — that is, until the name “Marc Elias” emerged. Then it made more sense.
The Elias Law Group was already in the news this election cycle for threatening reporters with defamation lawsuits if they kept asking questions about the health of former Gov. Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee for Senate in North Carolina. Earlier, Elias caused a stir during an unsuccessful Democratic gerrymandering effort, raising the idea that Democratic leaders could abolish the entire Virginia government after courts blocked their attempted radical redistricting plan.
The fact that figures such as Peltola and Cooper wanted to be associated with any law firm headed by Elias is itself an indictment of their judgment and standards.
Despite his losses in cases such as National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, Elias is still a favorite of many on the left thanks to his aggression and partisan fervor. The controversies that make him notorious to many make him popular with others.
Elias was the general counsel to the Clinton presidential campaign when it secretly funded the infamous Steele Dossier and pushed the false Alfa Bank conspiracy theory. (His fellow Perkins Coie partner, Michael Sussmann, was later indicted but acquitted for making a false statement to the FBI.)
Clinton campaign officials lied to reporters during the 2016 campaign, denying any involvement in the Steele Dossier. Journalists discovered the truth after the election — that the Clinton campaign had hidden payments for the dossier as “legal fees” among the $5.6 million paid to Perkins Coie. New York Times reporter Ken Vogel said that when he tried to report the story, Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’”
Times reporter Maggie Haberman later observed that “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.” The Federal Election Commission ultimately sanctioned the Clinton campaign for the subterfuge.
While raising money as the self-proclaimed defenders of democracy, Elias’s group has been involved in gerrymandering and efforts criticized as seeking to invalidate Republican votes, including unsuccessful efforts to challenge Democratic electoral losses.
In Maryland, Elias’s team supported another abusive gerrymandering scheme that a court found not only violated Maryland law but the state constitution’s equal protection, free speech and free elections clauses. The court found that the proposed map “subverts the will of those governed.”
One media site accused Elias and his group of “making millions off gerrymandering efforts” while publicly denouncing Republican gerrymandering.
In 2024, Elias’s legal team was also accused of pushing “to bar third-party presidential candidates — including Cornel West — from swing state ballots where they might siphon votes” from Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Likewise, the New York Times reported that the Elias firm’s work “on behalf of a Soros-funded PAC in Texas … was opposed by a left-leaning election watchdog as undermining laws intended to limit the influence of major donors.”
His group’s work for New York’s redistricting effort was ridiculed as not only ignoring the express will of the voters and also effectively negating Republicans’ votes.
In 2024, the Chief Judge of the Western District of Wisconsin criticized the Elias Law Group for one of its challenges. Judge James Peterson (an Obama appointee) said that the argument “simply does not make any sense.”
Now, Elias’s group is linked to the decoy scandal in Alaska, which allegedly aimed to make voters cast mistaken ballots. What distinguishes lawyers involved in this type of voter disruption is less their talent as their willingness. There are simply some things that most lawyers will not do.
There is also a difference in how lawyers are treated in such controversies. It often seems that election controversies involving Republican lawyers are more likely to end with bar charges and disbarments. Take John Eastman, the former Trump lawyer disbarred in California after a state bar panel found that he had pushed unfounded legal theories and conspired to obstruct the electoral vote count on Jan. 6, 2021.
Although I publicly disagreed with Eastman’s theories, I opposed the effort to disbar him as setting a dangerous precedent for lawyers seeking to advance novel or unpopular theories of recovery or liability. After all, lawyers on the left routinely advance dubious theories, including some that are more ideologically than legally driven. Such controversies rarely rise to the level of disbarment, especially when more appropriate sanctions are available, ranging from reprimands to fines.
Eastman is currently asking the Supreme Court to overturn his disbarment. It is unlikely that Elias Law Group or Peltola’s lawyers will face similar disbarment efforts — nor should they, in my view, unless they were involved in criminal conduct. But the disparate treatment afforded to counsel in this country by party remains a growing concern. What draws a shower of bar complaints for Republican lawyers brings a windfall of clients for Democratic lawyers.
The New York Times has produced sources alleging that lawyers for Peltola’s campaign were involved in this effort, even though they previously told a federal court that they “lack knowledge or information” and “deny any allegation about those purposes.” Such filings and statements could raise ethical or even criminal questions in investigations at both the state and federal levels.
Meanwhile, though, tens of thousands of voters in Alaska have already cast ballots that included the decoy Sullivan candidate. This could result in a nasty fight in Congress if Peltola prevails in the vote count. And when it happens, that is where we will find Marc Elias in his element.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
I get it, dirty politics and I doubt it breaks any laws. Part of me even wants to laugh because I thought it was an onion piece when I first read it. Yet the chutzpah this one takes is really amazing. It might even work.
Just remember Democrats, the sauce good for the goose is good for the gander. So when the chickens come home to roost, do not complain if you are not complaining now. Because you know this will happen to you too in the future.
It may not be illegal, but it is certainly unethical. Politicians and ethics seem to be mutually exclusive nowadays and that is a sad state of affairs.
Interesting October ratings for cable news channels
Fox down 28%
CNN up 19%
MS NOW up 13%
Tomorrow will be an extinction level event for Trump and the GOP.
ROFL
How so ?
Trump will be president for the next 2 years.
Assuming the BEST possible outcome for Dems on Tuesday they will control the house and Senate, but not able to get past a filibuster or veto.
Democrats will NOT be able to accomplish anything but “investigate” – and that has gone badly for them every time they have done so in the past.
Polymarket
2026 Midterms: Balance of Power
https://polymarket.us/event/balpow-2026-11-03
Politics
https://polymarket.us/category/politics
Senate Republicans will be willing to remove Trump after impeachment, as a way to punish him for causing the Blue Wave.
It is unlikely for that to happen as the Senate Republicans are beholden to the same dark-money forces that Trump is. The only one who will come out against Trump are ones retiring from politics entirely.
This is the first election ever in which republicans have raised more money than democrats.
Absolutely there is “dark money” in politics – and most of it goes to democrats.
Are those of you on the left SANE ?
As always you are clueless about what you post.
Regardless – lets presume for a minute that Democrats have a blowout Tuesday – that will PROVE once again that money does not determine outcomes. Trump was outspent in 2016 and 2024 and won both times.
If Democrats win big on Tuesday they will have been outspent and won.
All that does is refute your claim that money controls politics.
Regardless rich and poor people donate to candidates that reflect their values.
James Talarico’s campaign has spent 8x as much as his opponent. Where do you fancy that $136 million came from?
In your dreams, I am NOT MAGA and NOT REPUBLICAN – but MAGA is the future of the Republican party.
It has created a new reliable base for the GOP and it has massively increased GOP support among minorities.
And what Idiot thinks that Democrats want “President Vance” for the next two years would would then be able to run two more times ?
Again assuming that D’s win big on Tuesday – which does not appear likely,
I highly doubt the Senate will waste much time on trying to remove Trump.
It is politically counter productive.
It did not work before, it just makes democrats look stupid and vindictive.
Further it empowers Trump’s DOJ Investigations of democrats.
There is a giant difference between Congressional investigations and those of DOJ – DOJ can send people to jail.
I pretended that Trump was on the ballot, and so I voted for all Democrats! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Today’s topic is allegedly about honesty. Turley begins by repeating the MAGA phrase “Russian hoax”–there was NO “Russian hoax”–even a Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee report found that Russian hackers were directed by Trump’s campaign where to spread misinformation about her where they believed support for her was soft enough to make a difference–because they were afraid of her. Trump’s representative, OTOH, called murderous dictator Putin “a humanitarian” for releasing an American teacher. There are reports that Putin has the goods on Trump from the Epstein files, which we know were hacked by some foreigner.
Let’s talk about scandals. Susan Collins went after Graham Platner for allegations of domestic violence, but her own skirts are very dirty. Her husband is Thomas Daffron, the CEO of Jefferson Consulting, which got a $76 million government contract for acquisition and improvement consulting after Collins wrote a bill requiring such consulting. Collins wrote a bill establishing the Federal Acquitision Institute–for strategic planning, which required the services of a company such as Jefferson Consulting.
Collins’s defense–her husband never “really lobbied” her. Collins, despite constantly being allegedly “concerned” about Trump, the Epstein files and other scandals, almost always votes in lockstep with Trump, so she is enabling Trump to acquire $1.4 Billion from the sales of his worthless crypto, much of which was purchased by foreign governments, as well as his lenient attitude toward regulation of crypto.
What do Turley and MAGA media have to say about all of this–nothing. The “big scandal” is Mary Peltola allegedly “knowing” about some plot to confuse Alaska voters. Any Alaskan with average reading comprehension would not be confused, as the Republican incumbent is clearly identified.
Putin has a video of Trump banging his daughter.
Does Putin have a daughter?
Dems fight Gabbard’s disclosure with faulty Senate report that claimed Steele Dossier wasn’t in ICA
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/dems-combat-gabbard-declass-pointing-senate-report-which-wrongly?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=offthepress&utm_campaign=home
Newly declassified evidence suggests FBI conspired with Clinton to legitimize Russiagate allegations
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/damning-classified-annex-durham-clinton-plan-intel-released
Declassified intel ties Soros to Clinton’s Russiagate plan for FBI to ‘put more oil into the fire’
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/clinton-plan-tying-trump-russia-had-hope-fbi-will-put-more-oil-fire
After alleged Clinton Russia ruse was intercepted by US intel, Biden took first shot smearing Trump
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/biden-took-lead-tying-trump-putin-following-alleged-approval-clintons
Just the News is MAGA–disregard.
A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/podcasts/the-daily/democrats-alaska-senate-midterms-dan-sullivan.html?showTranscript=1
Of course there was a “Russia hoax”
No the senate did NOT find what you claim, nor did the senate results hold up.
Hillary Clinton paid Perkins Coi – Marc Alias hire Fusion GPS to hire Steele who hired Danchenko a possible russian spy to manufacture the Steele Dossier which was then shilled to the FBI and the only reason that no one went to jail is that even though the FBI and Mueller used it as the basis of a 2 year investigation that found nothing, They persuaded a DC jury that the FBI never beleived the Steele Dosier and therefore they was no material lie to a federal agent.
No no one find any ty between the Trump campaign and Russian hackers.
Nor did anyone find any tie between Russain hackers and the DNC emails
The breach of the DNC was almost certainly an inside job. Probably a Bernie supported angry that the DNC had cheated Sanders out of a shot at the election.
God not more of the Putin B$ – Trumps conflict with Iran has cost Putin 40% of his munitions supply – it is a major factor in the momemntum in the war tipping towards Ukraine.
If Putin had the goods on Trump the US never would have attacked Iran.
Regardless you left wing nuts seem to think that Putin is some super powerful villian.
Russia which si 5 times Ukraines size is loosing a war with Ukraine.
Putin has had his pants pulled down in public – He and Russia are impotent.
I would further note that it is Democrats – Obama, Biden and Clinton that have the serious links to Russia.
It is Obama that fell over himself to try to reset the US relationship with Russia after Hillary Pissed off Putin with the Orange revolution.
It is Hillary and Obama that greenlit the Uranium One Deal. It is Biden who was paid by Russian Oligarchs to protect them from a Russian prosecutor.
No Collins is not dirty. This is old crap. Collins did not award a contract to her husband. She did not write letters for him, She did not trade stocks based on Senate information. Your still shilling this nonsense that anyone Republican that makes money in anyway is crooked and any democrat who does so is a hero.
And you left wing nuts are still shilling the Epstain files ?
We already know – that for over 20 years Trump and Spstain were essentially at War with each other.
From the moment Trump threw him out of MAL and reported him to FL Law enforcement which resulted in his First Trafficking conviction.
It is NOT Trump that gave him the sweet heart deal – it was the Bush administration, then the Obama administration left Epstain alone and the Trump administration investigated and arrested Epstain.
If Epstain had dirt on Trump he would not have died in Jail.
With respect to your Trump nonsense.
If you think Trump Crypto is worthless DON’T BUY IT – no one is holding a gun to your head.
No one is forced to stay in a Trump hotel, play golf at a Trump golf course, Buy Trump sneakers, ….
Crypto does not need regulation. Its purpose is to replace money. It is not owned or controlled by anyone.
The scandal is Democrats engaged in Election Fraud.
The extent to which Peltola herself is involved is not well established THUS FAR.
But her campaign was HEAVILY involved, a SuperPAC supporting her was HEAVILY involved, Marc Elias was HEAVILY Involved. the DSCC was Heavily involved.
If you attempt to murder someone and fail because you are too stupid or your victim is smart enough to survive that does not prevent you from being charged and convicted of attempted murder.
You are not innocent of a crime purely because your attempt is unsuccessful.
-I should clarify that my earlier comment specifically related to the Professor’s sentence about votes already cast while litigation continues. I agree with the state’s initial resolution of printing ballots showing that the “decoy” Sullivan appears without a party designation next to his name, vis a vis incumbent Senator Sullivan being expressly listed as the Republican incumbent. I was referring to the sequelae (and unknown revelations) occurring after those votes were cast.
Lin, on another topic, what do you think of El-Sayed’s explanation that parents shouldn’t be concerned about men in their daughters’ competitive sports, locker rooms, and showers because there is already pornography on the internet?
OldManFromKS,
Not speaking for Lin here, but if I may interject . . . that is just plain stupid.
Big difference between one by their own choice to go to a pornography site on the internet vs women being forced to have to share a locker room, shower with a biological male.
There is a reason why some women choose to change in a janitorial closet vs. in a locker room with a biological male.
Recently Haley Stevens endorsed GOP candidate Mike Rogers, earning the ire of many far leftist illiberals. She said in an interview,
“I’m with a lot of other Democrats, and we’re all going to want to come back home.”
i.e. to come back to a sane and normal party and not the illiberal leftist that have embraced the stupid and crazy.
Interview here: https://www.thefp.com/p/exclusive-haley-stevens-says-i-wasnt-honest-with-myself-michigan-election-midterms-democrats-republicans?utm_campaign=260347&utm_source=cross-post&r=b4a3o&utm_medium=email
Upstate – yeah that was kinda what I was thinking: a middle school or high school girl having to disrobe and shower next to a male has nothing at all to do with internet porn. Nor does sacrificing scholarships, awards, and other opportunities for which the girl has trained her whole life, all because a mediocre male athlete wants to compete against people he has a biological advantage over.
OldManFromKS,
And that is what the far leftist illiberals are defending . . . as Haley said,
“I’m with a lot of other Democrats, and we’re all going to want to come back home.”
It seems to me Haley’s “lot of other Democrats” is a minority. The majority of Dems these days appear to be clinically insane. Mainly among white suburban liberal women who all seem to have gone bonkers.
Yup. Force trans-men back into the women’s locker room and shower where they belong.
Also, try not to think of what gay men are considering when they see you bend to pick up the soap in the clubhouse shower. (probably revulsion.)
OMFK – we get idiotic explanations like that all the time.
Right here and now myriads of posters are claiming that Decoy Dan is not election fraud because only stupid voters would be fooled.
So what.
In Texas we have an ethical rule that would permit disbarment for bringing disrepute to lawyers. I disagree with Prof. Turley on this one, Elias and some of the lawyers in his firm should be disbarred. Turley, himself, listed the litany of conduct that would justify the sanction.
Prediction: dems take the House. The dems take the Senate or it splits 50/50. In the latter, Vance will cast the tie vote after impeachment. Prediction: dems take the Senate.
Enjoy the lovely autumn one and all. Each day is precious imo.
Civics lesson for the day. There is no such thing as a tie vote after impeachment that the Veep can break. Conviction by the Senate after impeachment by the House requires a 2/3 vote.
Really. 2/3 by Sentate. Then DJT will not be impeached. My error. I had this scenario of war crimes trial etc.
My delusion. Thanks
He might be impeached since that only requires a simple majority vote in the House. But he won’t be removed from office (convicted) by the Senate.
I’m still angry about the entire situation.
Its all racism isnt it. El(ick) Said Jewish lives aren’t worth the price of bananas was some of the lowest.
Liberty to speak?
Impeachment requires a 2/3 vote in the Senate to remove – that is 67 senators – that is just not happening.
Attaining power unethically is but a means to the end of having and exercising power that will inevitably become arbitrary. What has become of the Democratic Party suggests strongly it is one that will gladly exercise absolute power at worst or misuse their discretionary powers at best. In either event the Constitution is rendered inactive and the Republic nonexistent.
“Although I publicly disagreed with Eastman’s theories, I opposed the effort to disbar him as setting a dangerous precedent for lawyers seeking to advance novel or unpopular theories of recovery or liability.”
Eastman was not disbarred because of his “novel” legal theories or because they were unpopular. He was disbarred because he was presenting false claims in court. The State Bar Court found that Eastman repeatedly made false, misleading, and factually unsupported claims about widespread voter fraud in public statements and court filings without conducting any meaningful investigation or verification.
3x former Trump voter, I just voted straight Dem, and I still abhor the California bar’s attack on Eastman’s license. Also the states that dinged Giuliani. Lawyers are not investigators, they can be but we are not requiored to be, we are entitled to take plaintiff claims as just that- unverified claims
Every “3x Trump voter” in the comments is a lifelong Dem who has never voted for Trump. Don’t be fooled by the liars.
“false, misleading, and factually unsupported claims” are the bread and butter of Republican leadership.
Then you would be able to demonstrate that.
BTW False and misleading claims are the norm in politics.
El Sayed in MI is claiming that Jews are responsible for high prices.
Way to channel Hitler.
X
ROFL
this is all nonsense.
Eastman has won all challenges against him – except that in CA – where it is still being appealed and he is likely to win.
It was docketed with the Supreme court just a month ago.
ACLJ is representing Eastman and they have an excellent Supreme court track record
Left wing nuts disbarred or threatend to disbarr myriads of lawyers in their efforts to disrupt investigations into 2020 election fraud.
They have lost pretty much every single one of those that has been challenged.
All you are doing is defending more idiotic left wing nut lawfare.
Outside of CA the courts have affirmed that “eastmans theories” – are actual US constitutional law.
The process that he outlined for challenging an election in congress is EXACTLY how you challenge an election in Congress.
Every aspect of it has actualy occured at one time or another before.
The “fake electors” are not “fake” they are alternate and and them MUST exist to challenge an election in congress because Congress has three choices:
Count the state certified electors,
Count the alternate electors,
or do not count the state at all.
The latter disenfranchises millions of voters.
You are literally shilling for Marc Elias and Democrat idiot law-fare that has harmed this nation for the past 2 decades.
You are also echoing the idiocy from Sen Sloctkin – that it is irrelevant whether people are guilty of anything – they should be made to suffer so no one will take those jobs again.
That is totally completely vile.
Should DOJ go after the attorneys who represent terrorists – so that no terrorists get decent attorney’s ?
Trump has myriads of enemies – people who plotted against him. The people DOJ has gone after committed crimes. They were not merely enemies.
No one Targeted Marc Elias – but he is about to be a target in criminal investigations because HE chose to engage in ACTUAL election fraud.
BTW Eastman is 10 times the lawyer Elias is.
And 1000 times more honest.
Dear Mr. Turley, Mr. Elias is the “scummiest” of all scum bags. He was involved with Mrs. Clinton and the phony Russia scandal, and his fingerprints are all over this one too. His ego is so terribly huge, that he is of the belief that he is able to control all of our election processes. I am thankful this was found out before election day.
“A New York Times blockbuster investigative report…” NYT accidently – make that begrudgingly – doing real journalism months after a story breaks in May is now considered “blockbuster”? Who knew?
Democrats have an alibi. They were driven crazy by mosquitos.
Alaska has about 35 mosquito species, and peak mosquito season typically runs from late May through July, with the worst swarms occurring in the Interior, tundra regions, and areas north of the Yukon River.
So, Professor, what’s the takeaway? That lawyers are scum? That lawyers lie and cheat and manipulate, using the law as a weapon and never risking accountability? Tell us! Look at the litany of egregious things that this man has done! Yet he is still actively subverting our system, our laws and the very principles that underpin everything we hold dear. Where is the ABA? Where are the judges? Where is the honor of the profession. I’m beginning to think that Shakespeare may have been right.
The famous quote “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers” comes from William Shakespeare’s play Henry VI, Part 2 (Act IV, Scene II).
-Who said it: It is spoken by Dick the Butcher, a follower of the rebel leader Jack Cade.
-The context: Cade and his men are plotting a violent overthrow of the government and social order.
-What it means: The line is uttered by a villainous rebel who realizes that to establish tyranny and break the rule of law, they must first get rid of the people who uphold and defend the law
Unless and until some miracle occurs that drastically enhances the cognitive abilities of US voters, this kind of nefarious deception will only continue. In fact, it will almost certainly worsen, as each side escalates these kinds of practices in response to resulting wins by their opponents. The only solution requires massive reform of the public education system (or its dissolution) and a subsequent multi-decade wait for the resulting unpropagandized students to reach the age of majority. That almost certainly ain’t gonna happen. If you are a boomer like me, we, and our parents before us, and even our grandparents, are/were guilty of blindly ignoring what was openly going on in public education for a very long period of time, while we were pursuing our own successes. To some extent, I’m convinced that phenomenon was deliberately engineered by hidden interests opposed to our Liberty and general prosperity, but, no matter: we did clearly have opportunities to forestall the current situation, and we blew it. There may be a dim and distant light at the end of this particular tunnel, but if so, there is a huge, dangerous swamp replete with ferocious denizens that will need to be navigated before there is any chance of reaching it.
speaking of dim and distant what kinda moron votes for the wrong sullivan, right?
“what kinda moron votes for the wrong sullivan,”
The kind that stumbles into a voting booth bleary-eyed either just before or after work, and quickly flicks tabs for candidates whose names he or she believes are recognizable, after having done no better research than watching a few minutes of CNN or MSNBC, before pulling the lever and rushing off? Or even better, the kind who fills out his or her ballot at home while being besieged by kids, and distracted by loud TV and video games, after the same abysmally inadequate “research”? Would you like to make a wager on what fraction of voters I have aptly described?
Worthy of old soap opera coverage on As the World Turns, we have this lone story from The Alaska Story about Peltola’s former campaign manager Elisa Rios attempting to recant her story printed in the NYT and why she might have wanted to: https://thealaskastory.com/hush-money-why-did-peltolas-former-campaign-manager-try-to-retract-her-new-york-time-story/
(I looked up the credentials for The Alaska Story; it appears to be a worthy and reputable publication.)
How this is related to today’s post: it appears the circle of usual suspects is widening, or at least is becoming more convoluted…..
Couldn’t this be about withholding severance payments because she violated a nondisparagement provision in the severance agreement?
Of course, Daniel, that is pretty standard fare. I take note of Alaska Public Media’s interview with NYT’s Kellen Browning, with a vague reference to the silence surrounding the Rios departure: https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-10-29/how-the-new-york-times-broke-the-story-on-secret-candidate-recruiting-in-alaskas-senate-race
About two-thirds down, see paragraph starting with “I did want to ask you, you mentioned Elisa Rios,…”
Lin,
It is rather interesting how Elisa Rios changed her mind and wanted to retract all the information, evidence, her statements. I have to wonder if that is when Elias got involved?
Also, be interesting to see if investigations find money transfers to both Rios and the decoy Dan.
Be funny if the Peltola campaign listed them as “legal fees.”
It mentions right in the publication linked: “The Alaska Story previously received information alleging that Rios faced a threatened action from Peltola’s campaign to withhold her final compensation if she didn’t keep quiet.”
Turley still in this? This is no “scandal”. It’s a distraction at best. What is relevant is the vote is tomorrow and this will very likely be moot the day after tomorrow or by the end of the week.
This is nothing but the same tactic Republicans used in 2024. Trump’s DOJ will not go beyond ‘investigating’ things they can’t prove. Voter fraud? LOL! Nope. Ironically real voter fraud was committed by Republican Sean O’Keefe, of former project veritas fame. He got caught committing felony voter fraud. Sullivan applied for candidacy legally and the Alaska Supreme Court agreed he did nothing wrong.
Heck, looks like Texas Ken Paxton is not going to win based on his poor performance and even poorer views among his own party. I suspect Republicans will lose the Senate and perhaps the House as well. I mean really, what did the Republicans run on besides scare mongering about socialism and communism?
X still appearing here this morning? It’s a distraction at best.
NO C
This is not moot.
Numerous legal analysts -= including Turley and Derschowitz have pointed out this is a Crime.
NYT provided sufficient evidence to prove a crime and a criminal conspiracy to commit that crime involving people from Petola through the DSCC and Minority leader Schumer.
Absent later finding that the NYT evidence is itself fraudulent – AI generated or in some other way false, Many people are at serious risk of criminal prosecution and conviction.
Daniel J. Sulivan who has been in hiding for weeks appears to have disappeared – he is in hiding and may have fled the country.
That is what Criminals do.
Additional evidence will with near certainty and additional conspirators be unearthed by the evidence gathered by subpeonas that have been issued and the ongoing investigations.
No this is not “the same tactic” – please cite any instance ever where this has been done before.
This is NOT an effort to crowd the ballot to give voters alternate choices. This is a deliberate effort to deceive voters – that is called FRAUD.
The evidence so far is that this ORIGINATED with the Peltola Campaign.
Daniel J. Sulivan did not decide to run and then solicit assistance from Peltola – Peltola directed her campaign to go out and look for other Sulivans to put on the ballot and Found a Willing Daniel J. Sulivan.
You keep aluding to other elections – Likely Hafner – you do not seem to be willing to actually those anymore.
Because they ARE DIFFERENT.
The Alaska Supreme court ruled in favor of Daniel J. Sullivan earlier – BECAUSE he and his lawyers told the court he was a legitimate candidate, that he had been thinking about running for Senate for over a decade and that no one solicited him.
He LIED.
In addition to the Obvious election fraud – there are also multiple violations of campaign finance law. We have evidence of communications between the DSCC, a Democrat SuperPAC, The Elias Group, Daniel J. Sullivan and the Peltola Campaign.
By law Superpacs can not coordinate with candidates or campaigns.
If Peltola actually manages to win on Tuesday – there will likely be essentially a constitutional crisis that likely will take months and end up before the supreme court.
I do not beleive it is likely that she wins. I do not beleive it was likely before. But the Polls could actually be right for once.
Even if she loses – this was a crime and there is an investigation and there will be subpeonas warrants. likely prosecutions lots of people taking the fifth, Plea Deals …. There are many many people involved in this – the very fact that NYT was able to get this story means that SOME of them are willing to speak and grasped this was a crime.
No OKeefe was not caught committing voter fraud – that is a radically different case and the Minnesota AG is way over her skis.
Okeefes people were given detailed vetted legal instructions and that process was Videoed – because OKeefe KNOWS that idiot democrats will come after him for exposing their fraud. They were very careful NOT to commit Fraud – They were engaged in undercover investigative reporting.
They did NOT vote. They did NOT touch a ballot. They did NOT sign anything, and they did NOT use a false identity.
The MN AG will lose this case badly – what is unfortunate is that she will not be sanctioned for filing it.
OKeefe has been the victim of this kind of lawfare before and has won all attempts by Left wing nuts to prosecute him for exposing THEIR Fraud.
Fox which oddly is one of the more left leaning polls has TX tied right now.
Republicans are not running on scaremongering about communism and socialism – Myriads of Democrats are litterally running as communists and socialists. The Democratic party is nuts.
SOME of those candidates are backtracking – or more accurately refusing to talk about their own remarks – even remarks made during the current campaign that embraced socialism or communism or antisemitism.
Republicans have done a bad job of messaging in this cycle – Contra the left – they have a strong economy, growing jobs, tax breaks for the working class, and a long list of accomplishments that they have done a poor job of selling.
They have some problems because – some things are not fully accomplished yet – Iran has not yet capitulated. There is not yet a peace deal in Ukraine. Hezbolah is not yet exterminated, Canada has not yet agreed to a trade deal. Gas Prices – though NOT outside historic norms – lower than under Biden and in real dollars lower than the entire Obama administration are still high because of the Iran conflict – but that will end – likely soon.
Inflation is far lower than under Biden – but still too high. But REAL Growth though below projections is good and rising. It is more than double the average growth under Obama and infinitely greater that the zero growth under Biden.
Regardless have Republicans done a poor job of selling their accomplishments – absolutely.
But Democrats have done even worse. ICE and Deportations are a supermajority republican issue, But in deep blue cities with a small minority of voters in a low turnout election they are an advantage for Democrats – though they have to be very careful not to wake the sleeping giant.
Idiotic and false Trump nonsense also plays well on the far left – and if Democrats can get the far left to show up in a low turnout election – the can win.
You rant that Republicans have been shilling a socialist and communist boogey man – But nuerous high profile Democrats have Run on EXACTLY that.
You want to “have your cake and eat it too” – You can not concurrently get away with claiming to be a socialist and denying you are a socialist.
You can not claim to be a communist and deny you are a communist.
No All democrats are not card carrying communists and socialists. Many are not even “social democrats”.
But many are openly communist, openly socialist, openly “social democrat”. As well as openly racist, openly antisemetic.
Many Democratic candidates are repugnant to other Democrats.
Haley Stevens did her best to toe the party line to support the democrat party even though El Sayed was running a vile and nasty antisemetic campaign.
I would further note that many of the Republican attacks – are just circuitous efforts to expose the REAL Democrat they are running against.
Wl Sayed is NOT Hassan Piker – but he has embraced Hassan Piker.
I do not care that El Sayed is egyption – I do not care that his family has strong past ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – which is ACTUALLY Fascist, The Muslim brotherhood recruited the most brutal members of the Waffen SS. What people care about – What Haley Stevens cares about is that El Sayed can not even call scapegoating Jews Wrong
It is a small thing – but El Sayed did a recent interview where he avoided actual issues entirely and talked about Basketball and how Pete Hegseth was just a mediocre white boy white boy whose parents told him that he was exceptional While El Sayed – who reportedly loves basketball and is possibly good at it, did not have parents who came to his games and told him he was great. El Sayed showed video of himself wiffing free throws repeatedly – all fine, I can’t hit a free throw either, and I loved playing basketball. But I have not claimed to be good at it, only to enjoy it.
Hegseth responded by posting video of hitting 9 of Ten shots from outside the 3pt circle, and his parents posted his awards for All State Champion in basketball.
The above is NOT about basketball. It is about STUPID lying and getting caught. El Sayed made stupid assumptions about Hegseth – as he does about everyone and everything – as those of you on the left do about everyone and everything.
Assumptions he EASILY could have checked before hand. El Sayed talking about his own interest in basketball is fine and an attempt to humanize him. But he stupidly compared himself to someone he did not know and made idiotically false assumptions that proved to be terribly wrong.
Further he turned talking about his love of basketball into whining about others.
No one in their right mind wants as Senator someone who stupidly fires from the hip and is Wrong. No one wants as senator someone who is still whining about his childhood. While trying to paint himself otherwise – El Sayed grew up wealthy and privileged. He is trying to run as a poor disadvantaged black guy.
John Say,
“This is not moot.
Numerous legal analysts -= including Turley and Derschowitz have pointed out this is a Crime.”
And what crime is that?
Funny you don’t mention it.
”This is NOT an effort to crowd the ballot to give voters alternate choices. This is a deliberate effort to deceive voters – that is called FRAUD.”
So thought you said fraud as only about property. Deceiving voters is not fraud. It’s typical dirty campaign tricks that have been legal for some time. Republicans did this back in 2024 with Hafner. Despite your measly protestations they did the same thing Democrats are doing now. The ONLY difference is Hafner was in jail in NY at the time he filed already a criminal for extortion and threatening elected officials, police, etc. quite a list.
The Alaska Supreme Court already ruled Sullivan did nothing wrong and his candidacy is legitimate.
“In addition to the Obvious election fraud – there are also multiple violations of campaign finance law. We have evidence of communications between the DSCC, a Democrat SuperPAC, The Elias Group, Daniel J. Sullivan and the Peltola Campaign.
By law Superpacs can not coordinate with candidates or campaigns.”
LOL! Nope.
The DSCC is NOT a superpac. The DSCC (Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) is not a super PAC. It is an official national political party committee.
The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on June 30, 2026 (National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC), official political party committees like the DSCC are now explicitly allowed to coordinate unlimited spending directly with candidates. Communicating or coordinating strategy between the DSCC and a campaign is entirely legal under the First Amendment. How did you miss that?
John Say,
“You rant that Republicans have been shilling a socialist and communist boogey man – But nuerous high profile Democrats have Run on EXACTLY that.”
LOL! Who? Bernie Sanders has always identified himself as a Democratic socialist. Who has claimed to be a communist? A couple? The number is so minuscule that it makes Republicans look like hyperventilating nincompoops. Come on. NYC’s mayor is the same type of Socialist as Bernie Sanders and he’s hugely successful. Which seems to be an annoying thing for those on the right.
”Republicans have done a bad job of messaging in this cycle – Contra the left – they have a strong economy, growing jobs, tax breaks for the working class, and a long list of accomplishments that they have done a poor job of selling.”
Selling the message is not the problem. It’s the fact their policies have failed or have not produced the results they promised. If it’s such a strong economy why haven’t Republicans focused on it? Because it’s actually worse and people are NOT seeing the economic benefits Republicans are claiming. Those choosing to blame Biden can no longer use that excuse. Growing jobs? It’s growing so slowly, barely make it into Obama era levels. Inflation is still high and it hasn’t gotten down and won’t go down if Trump continues to wage war in Iran.
“Haley Stevens did her best to toe the party line to support the democrat party even though El Sayed was running a vile and nasty antisemetic campaign.”
Antisemitic? LOL! How? Being critical of Israel is not anti-Semitic. Haley Stevens made a serious mistake and she’s paying for it dearly. In fact her conduct may have made things a lot worse for Rogers.
John Say,
“Wl Sayed is NOT Hassan Piker – but he has embraced Hassan Piker.
I do not care that El Sayed is egyption – I do not care that his family has strong past ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – which is ACTUALLY Fascist, The Muslim brotherhood recruited the most brutal members of the Waffen SS. What people care about – What Haley Stevens cares about is that El Sayed can not even call scapegoating Jews Wrong”
ROFL! You think everything is fascist. You’re ranting man.
Republicans will certainly lose a lot of seats in the house and senate. It’s looking that way and Republicans are desperate. You can see it in the political adds and mass texts sent at the last minute. None are about the issues. All are scare mongering about socialists, and taxes and transgender kids and so on. Trump’s rallies are looking worse for wear. It’s going to be bad for Republicans in the next few days. Really bad.
John Say,
“No OKeefe was not caught committing voter fraud – that is a radically different case and the Minnesota AG is way over her skis.”
Nope. O’Keefe was indeed caught committing voter fraud and a felony to boot. He used a fake name and presented himself as someone else. In Minnesota that’s a felony. He’s already been charged.
Republicans are already committing verifiable voter fraud. O’Keefe tried to “catch” election workers letting people with false names to vote, and he got caught. It showed the safety measures worked as intended and he got a felony as a result. Not very smart. Because he recorded his intent. That’s the funniest part.
James (not Sean, as you previously alluded to) O’Keefe did NOT conspire to commit “real voter fraud” for the purpose of what you claim. Notwithstanding that provisions of law were broken, it was journalistic investigation to expose flaws in Minnesota’s voting system– NOT an intent to use voter fraud to advance a particular candidate OR to vote more than once. –More a stunt to prove a point about Minnesota’s lax provisions.
Indeed, didn’t County Attorney Moriarty expressly state that neither of them actually voted or signed affidavit, and that this was completely different? Look it up, X, I don;t have time.
Lin,
Yep. That is how I came to understand what O’Keefe was doing.
I thought him dressing up the way he did kinda made it obvious.
Hello Upstate: Gotta go, but I’ve been reading all your comments lately, good. Yeah, regarding the “garb.”
“A new video showing conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and people from his team seemingly posing as Muslim Minnesotans and asking election volunteers questions about how the vouching system works is making the rounds on social media. The 11-minute video shows the group, with O’Keefe dressed in a thobe and kufi, going into polling places in Minneapolis.”
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/08/14/project-veritas-founder-posts-video-critical-of-minnesota-election-law
I guess it was funny until it wasn’t funny
Lin, did look it up. That’s how I know he’s in for some serious charges in Minnesota and he did commit voter fraud AND identity theft.
Unlawful voting. He he didn’t need to actually cast a vote or sign anything.
https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Minnesota-identity-theft-charge-against-James-OKeefe.pdf
This provision of the Minnesota Election Day Act dictates that “no individual shall intentionally misrepresent the individual’s identity in applying for a ballot, depositing a ballot in a ballot box or attempting to vote by means of a voting machine or electronic voting system.”
Under Minnesota election rules, the process of “applying for a ballot” legally begins the moment a person approaches a Roster Judge, engages with them, and gives a name and address. Prosecutors contend O’Keefe violated this statute by intentionally giving the names of real, registered Minnesota voters to the judges to initiate the ballot application process.
Then there’s identify theft. A serious crime in Minnesota when trying to vote.
O’Keefe crossed the line into felony identity theft because he did not use entirely fictional names; he specifically used the real names, home addresses, and voter registration statuses of actual citizens (including one living voter named William Pomeranz, as well as deceased residents) without their knowledge, consent, or permission.
Both of those are felonies in Minnesota.
Never mind. Found one for you before I leave. (John Say is correct in his sentence.)
“;I think it’s pretty clear they did not intend to vote. That’s not the question here,’ Moriarty said Wednesday as she unveiled the charges against O’Keefe and Higby.”
“”Alright guys, it’s Election Day in Minneapolis. James O’Keefe and I are going to go around the city to different polling stations and we’re going to see if they’re going to allow us to vote without IDs and then we’re going to see if they are going to allow us to vouch for other people who aren’t even registered to vote,”
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/10/28/james-okeefe-and-cam-higby-charged-with-unlawful-voting-for-youtube-videos
He presented himself as someone else. The moment he did that he broke the law. Regardless of whether he voted or not.
um, X, I think there has to be mens rea attaching to intent to fraudulently cast a ballot, –did you notice that Lin said “Notwithstanding that provisions of law were broken,” we’ll check in with you again X when we see what they are convicted of.
Marc Elias needs to feel real jeopardy Only then will he stand any chance at remorse for his heinous conduct.
This is about the part of the Indispensable Right that lives in the zipcode lie down with dogs get up with fleas. It tells us that nuts is normal getting a vote. It does not tell us that nuts is normal for giving our vote. That puts it on each one of us in the voting booth. The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the Superior Court holding that a candidate cannot be kept off the ballot by intent to confuse, because that is not a qualification requirement of the law. It also affirmed that the law itself gives the election authorities tools to shape the ballot to nix confusion. Alaska’s website tells this writer who the incumbent Sullivan is, and is not. I suggest that the ballot text block about Ballot Measure 2, ending ranked measure voting is every bit as interesting. If Alaska voters pass that, goodbye to a whole bunch of fleas. They almost did last election. We may look and see this blaring dispute had its sights on both of these ballot measures.
Ranked choice voting is salutary. The procedure set up by the Alaska legislature made a mess of it. You benefit from procedural adjustments, not from eliminating ranked choice voting entirely.
I disagree – the central presumption of Ranked Choice voting is false – that is that people put the same thought into 2nd and 3rd choices, and that those choices are unaffected by what actually happens with other candidates.
You can not fix that procedurally.
If you want real ranked choice voting – have runnoffs – that operates under the same principle, but requires people to think about what their 2nd choice actually is.
But you can not fix the problems with Rank Choice procedurally.
That said – this is not a constitutional issue – Alaska can use the means to vote that they choose.
They chose ranked choice – they appear to be ready to unchoose it.
That is normally how choosing ranked choice goes. People like it in the abstract but not in practice.
the central presumption of Ranked Choice voting is false – that is that people put the same thought into 2nd and 3rd choices,
==
That is not the central presumption. Nor is that a valid argument against it.
The good professor notes, “Meanwhile, though, tens of thousands of voters in Alaska have already cast ballots that included the decoy Sullivan candidate.”
Alaska is not a state in which statutory provision/precision permits a “re-do” election, (wherein judicial ruling voids an entire previous election result and orders a new election). The more common remedy is a judicial order for a recount or a voiding of specific votes for specific candidates.
Recount does not seem applicable here, but either judicial order voiding votes for the “other” (Dan J Sullivan) might be appropriate; or alternatively, voiding the entire election result and ordering a “re-do” election, see, e.g., “Section 3 New Elections” p. 283 in Remedying Election Results, https://journals.law.harvard.edu/jol/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2023/02/44HarvJonLegis265.pdf
Lets just hope that Danial S. Sullivan wins and we do not have to sort through this mess.
If Peltola wins – this will be a mess and I strongly suspect that she will eventually be seated.
Courts do not want to decide elections – especially conservative courts.
honestly we should have processes that avoid that.
We should not want courts to involved in politics. It is very bad for the credibility of the courts.
JohnSay: I should have premised my comment by noting that the “remedies” outlined in the Harvard piece related to a judicial conclusion of wrongdoing or malfunctioning. That is not the case here, at least not yet.
While I share your hope of a clear winner without legal intervention, the Alaska courts have already been involved and resolved on the immediate question as to appearance on the ballot, but it ain’t over till the fat lady sings and the FBI has just filed a records request with the court on Oct. 29 on a related matter.