Last one for the night:
http://www.adn.com/...
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, said he was never approached by Gov. Sean Parnell or anyone else about the problems in the Alaska National Guard that have erupted into a scandal in recent months.
Sullivan was attorney general from the summer of 2009 until Dec. 5, 2010, when he became natural resources commissioner. Parnell’s office first received serious allegations about the guard no later than October of 2010, and asked the FBI that month to investigate allegations that included sexual abuse, drug trafficking, misuse of resources, and transportation of weapons involving National Guard members -- an investigation first reported by television station KTVA.
But in a phone interview Monday, Sullivan said he was never consulted about and had no knowledge of the FBI’s inquiry, which did not corroborate any of the allegations, according to Parnell’s office. Sullivan also said no one ever approached him directly about the problems at the guard, which he said he learned about in a newspaper article.
“Within the military, a lot of these things are dealt with through the chain of command,” Sullivan said. “So there’s a lot of avenues that, obviously, I’m sure the governor sought to deal with it. And I wasn’t one of them.”
The problems in the guard have dogged Parnell since early September, when his office released a report by federal investigators that described harassment, fear, and sexual misconduct that guard leaders failed to stop. Parnell fired Maj. Gen. Thomas Katkus, the guard’s adjutant general, the same day the report was released. - Alaska Dispatch, 10/27/14
Now I recently wrote about this and I am not convinced that Sullivan wasn't informed about this. Begich's campaign pointed out that Parnell did contact Sullivan the day this incident happened:
http://www.markbegich.com/...
One Day Before Parnell Met With National Guard Chaplains, He Called His Then-Attorney General, Dan Sullivan
Dec. 2, 2010: Parnell Called Sullivan On His Cell Phone. According to Sullivan’s calendar from the Department of Law, Gov. Parnell called then-Attorney General Sullivan on December 2, 2010 at 12:45PM. The time slot noted “WILL CALL YOU ON YOUR CELL PHONE.” [Department of Law calendar, 12/2/10]
And if Sullivan wasn't consulted, it raises the question why he wasn't. Because this is something the Attorney General is supposed to be involved in:
http://www.ktva.com/...
The governor’s office also confirms that in October 2010, while Sullivan was attorney general, Parnell requested the FBI investigate assault, sexual abuse, misuse of resources, drug trafficking and transporting illegal weapons within the Guard.
“The governor’s Chief of Staff Mike Nizich contacted the FBI in 2010 and made them aware of the allegations,” said Parnell’s press secretary Sharon Leighow.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Parnell says he did not consult Sullivan.
Jim Ayers, who was the chief of staff under Tony Knowles for seven years, says he can’t imagine a situation where the attorney general would be isolated from the discussions of sexual assault and fraud within the Alaska National Guard.
“I cannot fathom a discussion of criminal violence against women being discussed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and not involving the attorney general’s office in the discussion, since that is in fact the attorney general’s primary responsibility, the safety of Alaskan citizens,” Ayers said.
The FBI special agent who conducted the six-week investigation was Kevin Fryslie, who is now an officer with the Anchorage Police Department. Fryslie had not responded for comment as of Thursday night. According to the governor’s office, Agent Fryslie reported back saying: “there was nothing to the allegations.”
“In my experience, any time there is a legal issue of significance … whether it’s in the Legislature or otherwise, the attorney general is brought into the conversation,” said Ayres, who added that there should be a hotline established for victims in the Alaska National Guard to come forward and report a crime.
“Here you have an officer and a chaplain, reporting violence against women … for whatever reason there wasn’t a special prosecutor established or special board of inquiry established right away and now it’s reported that the attorney general wasn’t even notified — it’s just an unbelievable situation,” Ayres said. - KTVA, 10/24/14
Something's not right here with either Parnell or Sullivan's excuses. Lets take out these corrupt Republicans by getting involved and donating to Senator Mark Begich's (D. AK) campaign and Walker-Mallot ticket:
http://www.markbegich.com/
http://www.walkerforalaska.com/