Public Campaign Action Fund - Alaska

Raise Your Hand If You Haven't Been Bribed

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:08:59 -0500

Let's hope for Alaska State Sen. John Cowdery's (R) sake that former Rep. Vic Kohring was right about prison being a long vacation because Crowdery is the latest Alaska lawmaker to be indicted in the extensive VECO Corp. bribery scandal. Crowdery was indicted for conspiracy and bribery following revelations by Rick Smith, the CEO of VECO that he had bribed state lawmakers in exchange for legislation that would benefit the company.

Hometown Hijinks

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:33:06 -0500

The Anchorage Daily News gives us their take on the news that lobbyists are bailing out Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) election campaign with thousands in campaign contributions: "It's sleazy. It's wrong. It makes ordinary citizens cynical and saps their faith in the integrity of their government and the officials who are supposed to represent them." Hey, don't hold back there ADN!

Pack Mentality

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:01:31 -0500

Remember that story a couple of weeks back about a memo instructing staffers in Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) office to give unrestricted access to certain "A-Team" lobbyists? Well, some of those same names are showing up again on the list of people who've donated to Young after his chief of staff reminded them in an email that if Young loses his re-election bid amid accusations of corruption, "you and your clients will be impacted."

Minimum Security Resort and Spa

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:03:23 -0500

Monty Python told us to always look on the bright side of life, but former Alaska state Rep. Vic Kohring took it a bit far on his last day before beginning a three and half year prison sentence for taking bribes from Veco Corp. to advocate for a pipeline project. TPM Muckraker has the highlights from Vic's last day on the outside, his bizarre roadside thank you to the people of Alaska, and his ambitions for life behind bars.

More on the "A Team"

Adam Smith — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:24:52 -0500

Yesterday, Katie pointed to an "intern guide" leaked out of Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) office. The guide listed an "A Team" of lobbyists who were to be given access to any Young staff member they wanted. It's no real surprise that these same lobbyists are donating to Young's campaign.

Young's "A Team"

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:33:00 -0500

Lobbyists who gave thousands to Rep. Don Young (R-AK) over the course of his career were on an "A Team" granted special access to Young and his staff, according to an unofficial "survival guide" for interns in Young's office obtained by The Hill. In addition to explaining the preferences and quirks of Rep. Young and his wife, the guide lists the lobbyists who were given access to any staff member they wanted.

Protecting the Young

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:32:39 -0500

On the one hand, three cheers for investigations into lawmakers abusing their positions to reward themselves and their contributions, on the other hand thumbs down for recent court rulings that are deterring public corruption investigations in favor of granting special privacy privileges to members of Congress. Go the Politico for more on the Rep. Don Young (R-AK) earmark controversy and the Speech and Debate clause that might save him.

Institute Change

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:06:35 -0500

Ray Metcalfe writes at the Alaska Report that the state is the victim of "institutionalized corruption" on the part of its legislators that has put money in the pockets of a few, at the expense of honest public servants. The Goodfellas poster mock-up is pretty funny.

Sen. Stevens Continues to Endear Himself

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:11:20 -0500

More bad news for Senator Ted Stevens. The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that he set up an earmark to finance a real estate bailout for a longtime aid. The $1.6 million earmark to the SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska was used to buy half a million in property from a former aide, Trevor McCabe.

Give and Bear It

Katie Schlieper — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:56:06 -0500

You think you have trouble getting Congress to pay attention to your problems? Try being a polar bear. Yeah, polar bears are cute and if a bear has the good fortune to be born in a Berlin zoo lots of teenage girls will line up to take his picture and purchase t-shirts bearing his likeness but for the average bear hunting seals in Alaska, the outlook is grim. And his congressional representation isn’t helping.