Miller Questions Use of Taxpayers’ Dollars to Influence U.S. Senate Race

Century Park North Housing Development, Eielson Air Force Base Federal Government Contractor Linked to Anti-Miller Electioneering; SuperPac ‘Alaskans Standing Together’ Pours Over a Million Taxpayer Dollars into Race Against Miller

Anchorage, Alaska. November 8, 2010 — Joe Miller appeared on “Huckabee” (Fox News Channel) over the weekend, and addressed his concerns about electioneering that occurred in the Alaska U.S. Senate race.

The show featured a surprising video that was shot the day before last week’s election. The video was taken at a federal construction site (Century Park North Housing Development, Eielson Air Force Base) where a supervisor was supposed to give a “safety speech” but it quickly turned into electioneering on behalf of the write-in candidate.

Such electioneering likely violates federal law. The employees were getting paid with taxpayer money to listen and be instructed how to vote. The location was federal property, also making this illegal. See 11 CFR Sec. 115.2. In short, the taxpayers were paying for a political rally on federal property, since the rally attendees were all on the clock.

“This raises still more concerns about the corrupting influence of federal contracting in Alaska and the role federal tax money illegally played in influencing this election,” said Joe Miller.

The SuperPac, “Alaskans Standing Together”(AST), funded almost entirely by privileged no-bid federal contracting corporations, poured $1.2 million to influence voters against Miller. An FEC complaint is pending regarding these questionable expenditures. (See Miller Campaign Press Release “Nine Benefactors of ‘Alaskans Standing Together in Violation of Federal Election Laws”, Oct. 20, 2010)

As noted by National Review, there was an obvious quid pro quo between the corporations, whose very profitability depends on federal handouts, and efforts to elect Murkowski who promised more federal largesse. (National Review, “Murkowski’s Quid Pro Quo”, Oct.18, 2010).

Joe Miller also said “Alaskans need to know the pervasive and illegitimate sway that federal dollars can have at the local, state and national levels.”
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