Will Sen. Ted Stevens resign and do time? Today's news. Is AK AG covering for Rs?

An interesting question has been raised in the AK corrupt politicos scandal. Where is the State of Alaska in all this, and is the Republican machine in Alaska doing its duty under the law to prosecute their fellow Rs?

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Alaska AG urged to act as Fed trial exposes corruption
by Rob Luke - 9/28/2007
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/201915-alaska-ag-urged-to-charge-as-fed-trial-exposes-corruption

JUNEAU -- Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg intends staying on the sidelines even as more potentially illegal activities by state politicians await the light of day in federal corruption trials.

That's despite the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) launching a probe into allegations that disgraced oil services firm Veco illegally paid for politicians' polling. APOC has one full-time investigator, the Anchorage Daily News (ADN) reported yesterday.

Anchorage Democrats Les Gara and Harry Crawford recently wrote to APOC and the AG's office urging state action on criminal acts by state politicians, ADN reported. "The scope of this misconduct is unprecedented, and taking no action simply condones this conduct," they wrote.

The APOC director told ADN she might hand the results of any findings on illegal poll payments to Colberg's office, which can bring criminal charges. The AG could then deploy his law enforcement officials and prosecutors to pursue the case.

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In another article, an anything but tepid reaction to the stench of corruption is voiced
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VECO stench corrupts GOP
Sept. 28, 2007
http://newsminer.com/2007/09/28/9086


A fetid smell circulates in the forest this time of year. Rotting vegetation and decaying mushrooms forecast the change in seasons. But there’s another odor slapping the faces of Alaskans these days. For many, it’s unthinkable, but as details emerge from the federal court house in Anchorage, it’s impossible to deny. It’s like finding a freezer full of salmon after the power’s been off for a week.

The spoiled legacy of Alaska’s Republican Party has stained the carpet and mold is climbing the walls. The entire building may need to be demolished if there’s any hope of recovery.

Here’s what we know. Until the FBI raided Juneau, the sellout of Alaska was a crime in progress. The state’s oil and fisheries resources, as well as our integrity and sovereignty, were being auctioned off by predatory capitalists and their hired stooges.

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The USA and our Representatives NEED to have an example made of him.

is going on when corrupt politicos can just carry on as if nothing has happened. Corruption saturation?

And, when will an oil company build a new story on my house? :rofl: In my case, it would be legal!!

He's nuts.

I LOVE it. As for the state AG, the Anchorage Daily News implied that the FBI wanted the state to stay out of all of this because of the number of ongoing investigations. I guess they don't want the state law enforcement people accidentally working at cross-purposes to the feds.

Here is a link to the article in the Anchorage paper re the AG. http://www.adn.com/news/politics/veco/story/9335588p-9249637c.html

Colberg said the attorney general's office isn't ignoring the revelations. But he said the state has to proceed carefully before pursuing its own criminal charges. The broad federal investigation into corruption in Alaska politics doesn't appear to be close to finished. The feds don't want interference from the state, according to Colberg.

"They've made it clear enough that they appreciate us not stepping into the middle of something that's ongoing," Colberg said. ....

that the FBI has at least 26 corruption investigations going on here. I doubt that Sarah Palin and/or her administration (we have governor-appointed AGs up here) are the subjects of any of them because they are all "outsiders." There's some pretty bad blood between Palin and the Republican establishment, including our national delegation, the Republican party chair and former guv Frank Murkowski -- AND the Big Oil companies, so my guess is their feelings aren't hurt at all by the FBI's actions.

Are the Rs going after Rs, of are they doing "full stall justice" to avoid political scandal and their own political demise?

here. Sarah made her reputation as a reformer, so while she's very popular with the ordinary people of the state (I think she currently has an 82% favorability rating across party lines), the old-line Republican establishment can't stand her. They like to call her the "prom queen." The Wikipedia entry explains --Governor Murkowski did appoint Palin to serve as a commissioner on the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission which she served on during 2003-2004, but later resigned, in protest over what she perceived to be the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders. This included the state party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, a fellow commissioner, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time and providing a sensitive email to a lobbyist. She filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former state Attorney General Gregg Renkes.

She doesn't seem to have any problem standing up to the Big 3 oil companies either on these gas line and tax issues.

Recently she has publicly asked for Ted Stevens and Don Young to "explain themselves" regarding the investigations, and has asked Ben Stevens to step down as the delegate to the RNC. Randy Ruedrich, who is still chairman of the state Republican party, has refused to take any action saying that there will be a new delegate next year anyway, so what's the rush.

I personally kind of like Gov. Palin, although, of course, I didn't vote for her. She is a social conservative, but so far she hasn't tried to force her personal beliefs onto everybody else, which is appreciated. Surprisingly, her first veto was used on legislation that would have barred the state from granting benefits to gay state employees and their partners. In effect, her veto granted State benefits to same-sex couples. The veto occurred after Palin consulted with her attorney general on the constitutionality of the legislation.

She's very approachable, just a regular person, and seems to be going out of her way to run an open government. In some ways she reminds me of the last Republican I ever voted for here, Jay Hammond, who was a real populist sort of guy, the "father of the Permanent Fund."