Stevens's indictment last month on federal charges of failing to disclose more than $250,000 he received from Veco Corp., an Anchorage-based oil-services contractor, is the latest -- and the biggest -- crest in a wave of ethical controversies that has swamped Alaska's Republican politicians.
The scandals were spawned by the confluence of one-party dominance and soaring oil and gas prices in this energy-rich state, said Gerald McBeath, a political scientist at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
``This has to do with big money, big corporations trying to influence public policy,'' McBeath said. ``There was a lot of money awash in Alaska. Veco was a very powerful organization in state politics. It had tentacles that reached out and touched everybody.''
Convicted
To date, seven Alaskans have been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with a four-year federal corruption probe. They include three state legislators, the chief of staff to former Governor Frank Murkowski and two former Veco executives.
The state's congressman, Don Young, is also under investigation, though he hasn't been charged.
Separately, Alaska's junior senator, Lisa Murkowski, was the target of an ethics complaint by a watchdog group last year over a land deal. Even Governor Sarah Palin, elected in 2006 on a clean-up-the-mess platform, is facing a legislative probe over a personnel case.
The Republican turmoil has raised the hopes of Alaska's long-moribund Democrats that they can capture Stevens's and Young's seats and even make a play for the state in the presidential race.
`Embarrassing'
The scandals have also left many Alaskans chagrined. ``It is embarrassing,'' said David Dittman, an Anchorage pollster who is working for Stevens. ``It looks like the whole state is corrupt all the time. You don't want to be considered like Louisiana or Newark or Chicago.''
Veco, which is now owned by Denver-based CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd., is at the heart of the federal investigation. So are its onetime chief executive officer, Bill Allen, and vice president, Richard Smith, who pleaded guilty last year to giving more than $400,000 to Alaskan politicians in exchange for political support.
The Stevens indictment charges the senator with concealing more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations he got from Veco. He denies any wrongdoing and has asked for a trial that will be over before the Nov. 4 election. |
