Exclusive | Decoy Dan Sullivan illegally colluded with liberal group attacking Alaska GOP Sen. Sullivan, watchdog alleges

WASHINGTON — Retired teacher Dan J.Sullivan, also known as “Decoy Dan,” has been accused by a watchdog of secretly and illegally colluding with a liberal group to take down his namesake Alaska senator.The connection comes from veteran Democratic strategist Amber Lee, who worked with his campaign while sitting on the board of the left-leaning 907 Initiative, a government transparency watchdog that has spent some $1.5 million on ads attacking incumbent Sen.

Dan S.Sullivan (R-Alaska), disclosures show.“It is absolutely a violation of federal election law for someone to wear two hats,” Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, which filed the complaint Tuesday, told The Post.“You can’t both work for the campaign and work for the outside group that’s running millions of dollars in advertisements that’s benefiting the campaign that you’re working for.”About $575,000 of 907 Initiative’s spending against Sen.

Sullivan took place during the final 90 days of the primary race, APT alleged in a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday.“Decoy Dan” jumped into the race on May 29.Just one day before “Decoy Dan” officially filed, the 907 Initiative slammed Sen.

Sullivan and launched an ad titled “Stop Raising Costs.” His campaign owed Amber Lee Strategies $4,380.41, the complaint noted.“Amber Lee Strategies’ work for the Daniel J.Sullivan campaign — and her concurrent leadership position as a board member of 907 Initiative whilst it spent significant sums of money on ads targeting her client’s primary opponent — is the third and final prong to establish coordination,” APT wrote in its complaint.“In fact, Ms.

Lee helped Daniel J.Sullivan file to run and ‘helped author some of Dan J.

Sullivan’s campaign materials’ at a time when her 907 Initiative was already reserving advertisements attacking his opponent,” the complaint went on.Lee’s assistance to “D...