Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Gov. Mike Dunleavy were quick to come to the former president’s defense after he was indicted Friday on more than three dozen counts he mishandled classified documents.
While the other half of Alaska’s statewide officials—Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola—had more measured wait-and-see responses, Sullivan and Dunleavy both issued statements that criticized the decision to charge Donald Trump with a fair bit of whataboutism mixed in for good measure.
“This is a sad day for our country and Republican form of government. There is no denying President Trump is the most persecuted President in our country’s history,” said Dunleavy in a statement issued before the indictment was unsealed, revealing what even former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr conceded was “very damning.” “I am afraid the American people will continue to lose trust in our governmental institutions. This sets a terrible precedent.”
Sullivan, as he’s wont to do, turned very real criticism of a Republican’s conduct into an opportunity to bash a Democratic president and former Democratic presidential candidate with a “but her emails” statement.
“The American people know that for years Joe Biden stored classified documents in his garage and that Hillary Clinton mishandled classified emails stored on her private server in her home. But with this Justice Department, there seems to be far more interest in pursuing former President Trump—President Biden’s chief political rival— than others,” he said in a statement. “Equality before the law is a fundamental tenet of our republic. The Biden administration is shoving our country into dangerous territory that is eroding trust in critical institutions of our government.”
At an event later on Friday, Sullivan conceded that he had yet to read the indictment and offered no other comment on the news. An offer by Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin for Sullivan to directly respond to the allegations contained in the indictment went unanswered.
Meanwhile, Alaska U.S. Sen. Murkowski—who has frequently found herself among the minority of Republicans willing to be critical of Trump—reiterated much of what the Department of Justice has been saying about the charges: That no one should be treated as if they are above the law.
“As I’ve stated before, no one is above the law, but every American is innocent until proven guilty. Still, the charges, in this case, are quite serious and cannot be casually dismissed,” she said on Twitter. “Mishandling classified documents is a federal crime because it can expose national secrets, as well as the sources and methods they were obtained through. The unlawful retention and obstruction of justice related to classified documents are also criminal matters. Anyone found guilty—whether an analyst, a former president, or another elected or appointed official—should face the same set of consequences.”
As for Alaska’s newest statewide elected official, Alaska U.S. Rep. Peltola was the most reserved of the bunch.
“I’m a strong believer in our judiciary and the process that takes place,” she told the Alaska Beacon’s James Brooks at an event in Juneau on Friday. “And I have every confidence that this will go through the process in the right way. Coming from the legislative side (of the federal government), I need to stay in my lane.”
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
