Murkowski and AK GOP Leadership Continue Deceitful Ways; Party Members File FEC, Ethics Complaints

The Joe Miller campaign today charged Lisa Murkowski with trying to deceive the voters of Alaska following the transfer of another $100,000 in campaign cash to the Alaska Republican Party (ARP). The transfer appears solely for the purpose of attacking Miller, while hiding the true identity of the assailant. The total is now a quarter of a million dollars since Miller’s entry into the race.

The Miller campaign also discussed a complaint filed by Republican District 11 precinct leader Julie Hamm against the ARP and its chairman Tuckerman Babcock with the Federal Election Commission regarding multiple alleged violations of FEC rules.

Further, District 9 chair Carol Carman filed an ethics complaint with the State Central Committee regarding Babcock’s conduct.

In a release last week, the Miller campaign noted that Murkowski had transferred $150,300 since Miller’s decision to enter the U.S. Senate race on Sept. 6. This total is well over the $96,100 FEC limit allowed in coordinated campaign expenditures for the Alaska senate race.

The latest FEC filings show that Murkowski has doubled down by transferring an additional $100,000. The six cash transfers to the party include: Sept. 20 – $50,000; Sept. 23 – $67,000; Sept. 30 – $25,500; Oct. 7 – $7,000; Oct. 10 – $35,300; and Oct. 18 – $64,000, with a grand total of $249,600.

These transfers from Murkowski are listed as “Surplus Campaign Funds,” by the ARP, while Murkowski has listed them as “other” in her third quarter filing, with the October transfers not available yet to review.

The funds are being used to level false personal attacks against Joe Miller through statewide mailers. Lisa Murkowski is clearly trying to hide her sleazy attacks by listing them as “other.” This violates every principle of transparency and the whole objective of campaign finance laws. Alaskans have a right to know who is perpetrating the attacks.

“If Lisa Murkowski has something to say about Joe Miller, she needs to have the courage and the integrity to say it herself and not rent out the Alaska Republican Party to do her dirty work,” said campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto.

“These multiple, frantic transfers of cash are clearly acts of desperation. They know the momentum is with Joe Miller, and he is once again in a position to defeat Lisa Murkowski,” said DeSoto. “All Alaska Republicans should be outraged by the unethical conduct of the party’s leadership.”

Meanwhile Julie Hamm, a GOP precinct leader, filed an FEC complaint last week against the Alaska GOP and its chairman Tuckerman Babcock.

The complaint hits Babcock and the Alaska Republican Party leadership on multiple issues including:

1. Failing to account for all the party’s funds.

2. Failing to file a proper FEC Form 1 – Statement of Organization within the required timeframe showing a new Treasurer as well as new address of the Alaska Republican Party.

3. Filing FEC reports listing the wrong person as Treasurer.

A Miller campaign release from last week also highlighted that the Alaska GOP is currently being investigated by the FEC for failing to properly disclose expenditures made during the primary campaign.

Alaska Republican Party District 9 chair Carol Carman has also filed an ethics complaint with the State Central Committee regarding Tuckerman Babcock’s unethical conduct in circulating the Murkowski flyers.

The Alaska GOP seems more than willing to play fast and loose with the rules.

“What is becoming apparent through all these revelations- Murkowski’s money laundering with the AK GOP, missing cash, failure to disclose–is a willingness to throw ethical, even apparently legal conduct to the wind in hopes of pulling the wool over Alaskans’ eyes,” said DeSoto. “Voters are smarter than that and will show it on November 8th, when they elect Joe Miller to the U.S. Senate.”

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