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Dunbar Speaks Out on Young Corruption

Alaska Congressman Don Young was recently found guilty of misusing over $60,000 in campaign funds. In the wake of these violations, his Democratic opponent, Forrest Dunbar is speaking out.  KDLG’s Chase Cavanaugh has more.

On June 20th, the House Ethics Committee found Alaska Republican Representative Don Young guilty of misusing $60,000 in campaign funds and improperly accepting gifts.  Young has served in Congress since 1973, and is currently facing a reelection challenge from Democrat Forrest Dunbar.  The challenger says while campaign finance violations aren’t always obvious, this one was clear. 

“Campaign finance laws are complicated, so my initial reaction has always been to give people the benefit of the doubt, but in this case, he’s a repeat offender, and when you start to look, at the actual…..they’ve released what the actual gifts were. They’re pretty clear cut.”

One notable gift was a $434 pair of Le Chameau boots, but most of the violations are tied to using campaign funds to finance private hunting trips.  While the Committee has issued a letter of reproval, and will require him to pay back the funds, Dunbar says the greater punishment is the loss of influence. 

“He has been stripped of his influence because of these repeat violations. He’s no longer allowed to chair full committees. He’s become isolated in his own party because these kind of things are embarrassing to the party. So that’s really the crux of the issue. It’s not just his personal failing, it’s the fact that this reduces our influence and his years of seniority now are the least valuable years of seniority in the US House. He’s no more effective or powerful than a freshman legislator.”

While the scandal doesn’t reflect well on Alaska, Dunbar distanced it from the state’s politics, saying it’s more a product of habits in Washington. 

“So I think it speaks more to what’s happening in Washington rather than Alaska politics, though I know we were recently rated something like the 7th most corrupt state in the country, and you can see some of that here, but we’re focused on Don Young and that particular house race, and there’s no question this kind of dependence corruption is rampant in the House of Representatives in Washington DC.”

In his campaign, Dunbar has stressed a focus on transparency and campaign finance reform, particularly his Contract with Alaska.  He will be campaigning in Dillingham on Friday and Saturday.

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