LETTER TO ANCHORAGE TIMES EDITOR PAUL JENKINS

Sarah Palin
Jun. 2, 2006

Dear Editor,

As an observer of state government, surely you were paying more attention during the 2003 GOP scandal starring boss Randy Ruedrich. You wrote in today's editorial that I earned the enmity of the Republican party bosses for "snitching out its chief" for using state equipment to run the Republican party while Ruedrich and I worked at the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Ruedrich was fined the largest ethics violation amount in state history for leaking confidential attorney-client priviledge information to a gas company that our agency was regulating. That violates law. I was the chairman of AOGCC, and was Ruedrich's ethics supervisor. I was not going to let the integrity of this quasi-judicial agency go down the toilet by allowing the many questionable actions of a political appointment (who also happened to be the GOP boss) go unchecked. The reputation and work product of the professionals at AOGCC are too important to Alaska to succumb to pressure from a party boss, and the Governor, and merely turn a blind eye to the illegal leaks.

As Ruedrich was investigated by the Dept. of Law, Murkowski promised to set the record straight and publicly explain the situation to Alaskans so the integrity of AOGCC, which regulates 20% of the U.S. domestic supply of energy, would be restored. Murkowski broke that promise, instead sided with Ruedrich and embraced him as "a survivor". To this day, rumors persist about that scandal because Murkowski never did set the record straight, as evidenced by your erroneous editorial.

I'm the only Republican candidate who stood up to Ruedrich and Murkowski when many other Alaskans observed obvious unethical actions and stupendous efforts to take our state in the wrong direction. I did so at personal cost, including leaving a $124,000-year top-level state job, long before deciding to run for Governor, not when it was just politically expedient as we now see with other candidates.

You have the wrong candidate when writing of being "lightweight". It was Johne Binkley, on record just months ago, stating he believes Murkowski was doing a fine job and couldn't think of anything on which he disagreed with him.

I stood shoulder to shoulder with Govs. Hammond and Hickel last year, championing the people's Alaskan gasline project because I'm deeply concerned about Murkowski's gasline deal locking up our resources in anticompetitive monopolies for decades. I'll keep debating until Alaskans' collective voice is heard and a better product results.

So why would I have backbone to challenge the GOP boss and the Governor then, but be considered by you a "lightweight" now?

Sen. Ben Stevens recently berated me for speaking out and speaking up, oddly proclaiming I wasn't just running against Binkley, but was running against himself, GOP boss Randy Ruedrich and Murkowski. It sounded like a good ol' boy challenge, much like your editorial did.

Sarah Palin

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