Trump Calls for Prosecution of Alaska Senate Candidate Over Sullivan Name Controversy

President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Democratic Senate candidate Peltola in Alaska on Wednesday, according to PBS NewsHour. The call followed revelations that her campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, the outlet reported.

CBS News reported that Alaska's Republican governor is calling for a state investigation into Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola. That call followed a report from The New York Times alleging that her campaign recruited a man with the same name as her opponent, Dan Sullivan, to run. CBS News said its political contributor, Joel Payne, has more on the matter.

The two accounts describe the matter differently. PBS NewsHour said the campaign appeared to be involved in the recruitment, while CBS News attributed the recruitment allegation to The New York Times. Neither summary names the man who was recruited, and neither describes a response from the Peltola campaign.

The Senate contest in Alaska pits Peltola, the Democratic candidate, against Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, according to PBS NewsHour. That report was written by Becky Bohrer of the Associated Press.

Neither PBS NewsHour nor CBS News described the legal basis for the prosecution that Trump requested, or the scope of the state investigation that the governor is seeking. Both accounts were published within a day of each other, and the available summaries do not indicate whether any formal action has been taken in either matter.

Sources: PBS NewsHour: Trump calls for prosecution of Alaska Senate candidate Peltola over Sullivan name controversy; CBS News: Alaska Democrat Peltola scouted man with same name as opponent Dan Sullivan to run, NYT report says.