Alaska Rocked By Political Scandals

Washington Post: Corruption Scandals Involve Alaska's Biggest Political Names

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Karl Vick.

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When the FBI came looking for corruption in Alaska politics, it found an excellent perch in Suite 604 of the Baranof Hotel in Juneau, the state capital. There, a profane septuagenarian named Bill Allen did business throughout a 2006 special session called to set taxes on the oil industry. With hundred-dollar bills in his front pocket for ease of access when lawmakers turned up with their hands out, the oil-services company executive turned in a bravura performance before the pinhole camera that federal agents installed opposite his favorite chair.

"Let me count first here," Allen said, shushing a former statehouse speaker as he counted out a bribe in video footage entered as evidence in the lawmaker's September trial, one of several crowding the docket of the federal court here.

On another tape, Pete Kott, the former Republican speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, crowed as he described beating back a tax bill opposed by oil companies. "I had to cheat, steal, beg, borrow and lie," Kott said. "Exxon's happy. BP's happy. I'll sell my soul to the devil."

"Well, that will stay in this room," one lobbyist said as a midnight session wound down.

It did not, of course. Since breaking into public view a year ago when federal agents raided lawmakers' offices and homes -- finding $32,200 neatly stacked in a closet of Kott's condo -- the federal probe has produced four indictments, three convictions, three guilty pleas and a rapt audience keen to see how high into Alaska's political hierarchy the rot reaches.

Officially, the scandal has remained confined to Juneau, where Alaska lawmakers had grown so accustomed to operating under the presumption of impropriety that several of them embroidered ball caps with the letters CBC, for "Corrupt Bastards Club." (An Anchorage coffeehouse now offers Corrupt Bastards Brew.) But with signs that the investigation is brushing against Alaska's lone congressman, Don Young (R), and its longtime and venerated senator Ted Stevens (R), residents of the Last Frontier are experiencing a rare spasm of soul-searching.

"These disclosures have come as a real shock, because of revelations of what was going on, and because Alaskans have always felt that they are special," said Vic Fisher, 83, one of four surviving members of the convention that only a half-century ago wrote Alaska's state constitution. "And that this thing is ruining our national reputation."

Young, who has represented the nation's largest state in the U.S. House for 34 years, has not been named in the proceedings -- yet he reports spending $450,000 on legal fees over the past six months. Veco, the oil-field services company that Allen owned, was Young's largest campaign contributor.

Stevens, an iconic figure who has dominated Alaska politics for decades, has said little publicly since agents swarmed over his mountainside home, the renovation of which was overseen by Allen.

But Ben Stevens, the senator's son and a former Alaska Senate president, has been at the center of the scandal from the start. When Allen pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges, he stated that almost a quarter of a million dollars in consulting fees paid to the younger Stevens was in fact bribery.

"About the only ones that I can trust is you and ol' Ben Stevens," the oil executive told Kott on one tape.

The younger Stevens maintains his innocence, most recently in a call to an Anchorage radio talk show that noted he had received fees from fishing companies that benefited from federal grants his father engineered.

"I'm under investigation by the Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS, the National Marine Fisheries Service," Ben Stevens told KFQD-AM. "This is a feeding frenzy. Anybody who says anything, this is an environment where any accusation is . . . is automatic guilt."

[sgtrds]

Posted by NextProphet at 07:28 PM : Nov 13, 2007

Spam................

[nextprophet]

TO APATHETIC AMERICANS
Voter disenfranchisement and apathy infects the heart of our Republic. Get off your couch, put your remote control down, and become active in your nation''s political process. The pathetically few people that do vote in this country, a.k.a., "the ruling class", who currently get to decide under what kind of conditions (and Laws) you and your family will live, are certainly involved. I can assure you of that. In fact, the ruling class would be much happier if you would just continue to stay home and watch TV in your pleasantly distracted and brainwashed, stupor. That way they can continue to elect their political ****** to office, and continue to maintain their grip on 100% of the political power they currently own in this country. If you voted (God Forbid), it would cancel-out their vote, and they would lose control. They can''t have that. Now can they? If you don''t vote, my friends, you''re nothing but an unwashed "Pleb" to those that do, and the ruling class should rightfully consider themselves superior to you in every way. They do, after all, have all the power, while you have none. If you''re too apathetic and powerless to do anything for yourself more time-consuming than driving down to Mickey D''s to buy a milk shake in order to sieze control of your life, and your country''s destiny, then perhaps you deserve to be ruled over like the "Pleb" that you then are. The time to act is now. The time for political revolution has come. The time for Ron Paul is NOW!

[nextprophet]

THEY DON''T CALL HIM "DOCTOR NO" FOR NO REASON
Congressman, Paul never votes for any Bill which he feels is not authorized by The Constitution, regardless of what it might be named. He feels most Laws should be made at the local or State level: the way our Founders intended. We are a Republic, and we have plenty of State lawmakers who are more than willing to make Laws which best serve their constituents. "Ron Paul is one of the easiest people in Congress to work with, because he bases his positions on the merits of issues," says Barney Frank, who has worked with Paul on efforts to ease the regulation of gambling and medical marijuana. "He is independent, but not ornery." Paul has made a habit of objecting to things that no one else objects to. In 2001, he was one of only three House Republicans to vote against the USA Patriot Act. He was the sole House member of either party to vote against the Financial Antiterrorism Act. In 1999, he was the only naysayer in a vote in favor of casting a medal to honor Rosa Parks. Nothing against Rosa Parks. Paul also voted against similar medals for Reagan and Pope John Paul II. He did, however, offer $100 of his own money to help pay for Reagan''s medal, and invited others in Congress to match his offer, but not one Member took him-up on it. Instead, Congress spent YOUR money. He not only routinely opposes resolutions that are unconstitutional, he votes against Bills which presume to advise foreign governments how to run their affairs.

[nextprophet]

RON PAUL RESISTS SPECIAL INTEREST
In Congress, Ron Paul is not only known for his lack of ego (a rare quality in D.C.), he''s widely admired for his resistance to the influence of special interest groups. Again. They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. He consistanly votes against pork-barrel spending. In a rice-growing, cattle-ranching district, Paul consistently votes against farm subsidies. In the very district where, in 1900, a storm destroyed the city of Galveston, and where repairs and refugees from Hurricane Katrina continue to exact their toll, he votes against FEMA (the poster child for inept agencies) and flood aid. In a district that is home to thousands of employees of the Johnson Space Center, he votes against financing NASA. Nothwithstanding this, his constituants in the 14th District of Texas continue to re-relect him. Why? You ask? I think one voter I talked to there summarized it nicely when she said, "We may not like his vote. But we trust his heart." Even Tim Delaney, the editorial-page editor of The Victoria Advocate, an influential newspaper in the district, which has generally opposed Paul, on the grounds that a lone wolf cannot get the homeland-security financing he says the district needs, says, "Ron Paul is a very charismatic person. He has charm. He does not alter his position ever. His ideals are high. If a little old man calls up from the farm and says, I need a wheelchair, he''ll get the *** wheelchair for him. Ron Paul is a man of integrity."

[nextprophet]

HOPE FOR AMERICA: PRESIDENT RON PAUL

-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
-- No more aggressive military actions overseas
-- No more torture prisons
-- No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
-- No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
-- No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
-- No more erosion of Social Security to pay for militarization
-- No more U.N. (one world government) participation
-- No more NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO or GATT
-- No more North American Union
-- No more federal gun control laws
-- No more illegal aliens pouring-in over our country''s borders
-- No more illegal aliens allowed to roam freely in our streets
-- No more national ID cards (Real ID Act)
-- No more government invasion of your privacy
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more unlimited federal government

They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com

"Liberty, when it takes root, is a plant of rapid growth."
- George Washington

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine

"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me

[sgtrds]

They are represented in the Senate by one of the biggest crooks ever to darken the streets of Washington, Ted Stevens. His poison is bound to spread to his family and the politics of his home state. No surprise here.

[jowand]

Term limits, no more than 2 terms in the Senate and 4 terms in the House and a right to recall any politician at the Federal Level. We already have term limits on Presidents. Longer jail terms when they get caught for the politician and the briber.

[afmca]

Yes, the common denominator in all the corruption is that they are Repubs. Maybe they can get Bush to hide the truth under some illusionary government security blanket. If the Demos ever get full, veto proof power the corrupion and unconstitutional activities of the Repubs will be fully exposed and Americans will see how close we came to being overthrown by the neo-cons.

[rowdytexan2]

...the RNC is funded by these pigs. This is your family values, true faith, less tax, less government, party. (Who needs taxes when we can just steal from each other?)

Less government means you have no ability to hold them to standards and keep them from stealing from you. That was the crock of goods they sold you with de-regulation. Less tax for them means that you pay more tax and they pay less.

I''ll give the Democrats some leniency because they do try to funnel SOME of that money back to you. They think you should be healthy, and work and pay taxes, and have enough money to buy all the goodies that they want to sell you, and some quality of life.

To the republicans, the rest can just eat ***** and die (unhealthy, starving, or in war for their causes).

[brianbwb-2009]

Alaska lawmakers had grown so accustomed to operating under the presumption of impropriety that several of them embroidered ball caps with the letters CBC, for "Corrupt *** Club."

Gloating over it, and bragging about it, because they all know that the worst that will happen is they won''t be re elected. Since they all have taken millions, they don''t care at this point. In your face corruption, they dare you to try and stop them.

And for those who say that Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, look at the numbers, of dollars stolen, and people murdered, the US can easily claim number 1, the undisputed champion of corruption.

[fizzal-2009]

I thought the United States of America already bought and paid for that land in Alaska and where is my check for oil revenue? I live in another state.

[drinuk]

People who live in a glass houses should not be throwing rocks, you gloating Dems are not whiter than white either. The whole of the political Elite is currently taking graft against the interests of the people.

Perhaps when the Feds have put this one to bed they should have a very close look at the FDA, Big Pharma and all those in Washington who have shared out 8 Billion Dollars during the last year from their lobby.

Eight Million is going to need a few very big closets and the fact that they are all in it up to their necks should make the task easier. If the Feds don''t take action against Big Pharma and crooked Washington, the people may just do it for them. There is Genocide involved here as well as corruption, Enough is Enough.

[scoliosuxs]

Geez sounds just like Louisiana politics. When did the Alaskan''s delegation visit our state and take lessons on how to do business.

[neobrian-2009]

Where there`s Greed,Oil,Pigs,..GOP,..The party of King W~ Remember" Friends don`t let friends vote republicon ! "

[rowdytexan2]

...and the beat goes on! They''re pigs, all of ''em!

[kansas1946]

Is there no end to the corruption in the Republican party. Other Republicans, the RNC, had to know some of this stuff was going on. I guess they have "sold their soul to the devil."

[excoachken]

Donnnn''t worrrrry, I am sure our trustworthy Prez and Veep will "Do the right thing," as long as they can cover their own tracks.

[l8c6]

This is the same group of ba*stards who scoffed at Hillary a few years ago when she referred to a right wing conspiracy. Well, for those in denial, while you suffocate with your head in the sand, the patriots need to save their country from these treasonous traitorous scum of the earth. There is no negotiating with sociopaths. The citizens need to save their way of life from these low-lifes.

[l8c6]

Ahhhh, The new name for Liberals, "Progressives". Don''''''''''''''''t worry guy''''''''''''''''s, your time is coming. The fed will be shining a light up you rear ends too!
Posted by gunnerv1

Look, azz, the right wing fascists have had their day. The time has already been. Everyone is wise to the way the fascists attack using labels. The scam is over. Let the buyer beware. It doesn''t take a sick sociopath to tell me progressive will be the next label under fire by the fascist right wing.

It took Adolf Hitler over 20 years to bring destruction to Germany and it has taken the neo con republican fascists 20 + years to bring us the evil empire from within. CBC...corrupt *** club. How brazen these pathetic specimens of the human race have become.

[l8c6]

And the RON PAUL spammers would think any patriot would want more of this party in power. The republican party needs to be tarred and feathered till the last of these crows is purged from the field.

Democrat politicians should be wary. All politicians need to be heavily scrutinized and frankly, every last one of them should be voted out with the exception of the few who in cases committed political suicide for speaking out against all traitors on either side of the political spectrum.

The rules need to change for multinational corporations. They have become global organized crime.