Alaska GOP lawmaker who is a member of the Oath Keepers rails against 'politically-driven indictments' of his allies
January 17, 2022
A state representative in Alaska outed in September as a member of the Oath Keepers has doubled down on his loyalty to the group by blasting the Department of Justice for indicting its leader, Stewart Rhodes, and 10 others.
Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, issued the following statement Friday in response to an interview request from the Anchorage Daily News in the wake of the indictments:
“Politically-driven indictments out of D.C. during an election year are nothing new to Alaskans. The indictment against Ted Stevens disappeared once Mark Begich was elected. The January 6th commission’s narrative is falling apart, and with it the Democrats’ last hope of keeping their majority in Congress,” Eastman said. “I predict that narrative will continue to fall apart, regardless of how many indictments they put forward, and that Republicans win back Congress in November.”
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Suffice it to say Eastman wasn’t chastened by having been revealed as a life member of the Oath Keepers through a leak shared with ProPublica by the whistleblower group Distributed Denial of Secrets.
He was one of 10 sitting state lawmakers outed, but among the only ones to confirm his Oath Keepers status.
“Eastman has publicly acknowledged his presence at the Jan. 6 'March to Save America,' and posted a photo of himself standing with a group of Alaskans near the Capitol that day," The Anchorage Daily News reported. "No evidence has been released that links him to the violence that erupted, in which police officers were injured and Capitol offices ransacked.”
This week, however, “Eastman did not directly respond to several questions about his connection to Oath Keepers, including whether his membership is still active, whether he had any contact with Rhodes during or before the attack, or whether he brought any firearms with him to Washington,” the newspaper reported.
Also declining to comment about their Oath Keeper colleague were Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young -- the three Republicans who comprise Alaska’s congressional delegation. That was consistent with the state party’s unwillingness to call out Eastman, as reported by the newspaper:
“Alaska House leaders, in interviews, said they’re aware of the Oath Keepers indictments and Eastman’s ties to the group. But even though the news has prompted some discussions, there are no plans for immediate action against Eastman, said House Speaker Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak.
“I’m not aware of any conversations in the Capitol that pertain to removing him or any kind of disciplinary action,” Stutes said in a phone interview. “He’s an elected official, and I would think it would be left up to his constituency, unless I or we as a Legislature see or have actual proof of his involvement in the incitement of what went on.”
On the other hand, according to the report, “Dozens of graduates of the U.S. Military Academy have called on Eastman, a fellow West Point alumnus, to resign.”
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