Joe Miller Almost Lost His Job After Ethics Violation, Former Mayor Says

Alaska Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller was almost dismissed from his job as a Fairbanks borough attorney in 2008, after breaching the township's ethics policies by engaging in a politically motivated operation to unseat the Alaska GOP Chairman, former Fairbanks mayor Jim Whitaker said Wednesday.

Whitaker, who served as mayor from 2003 to 2009, told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that Miller had undertaken a campaign to oust Alaska GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich using borough computers, a fireable offense, but that he wasn't terminated because he was needed for the work he was doing on a lawsuit to decide the tax-rate of a trans-Alaska pipeline system.

"I also felt it was appropriate to give Mr. Miller enough time to come forward himself," Whitaker told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. "It's clear with his statements of the other day, he's not going to do that. Referring to the truth as innuendo and lies is not truthful."

Earlier this week, Miller told reporters that he was done answering questions about his personal life and history.

"We've drawn a line in the sand," he said. "You can ask me about background, you can ask me about personal issues, I'm not going to answer them. I'm not. This is about the issues. ... This is about moving this state forward, and that's our commitment."

True to form, Randy DeSoto, spokesman for the Miller campaign, remained mum on the specific allegations, telling the News-Miner:

"We're not going to comment further on this, but the campaign released records this past July conclusively demonstrating that Joe was not fired, but resigned, on his own accord, in September of 2009."

According to the News-Miner's reports:

The former mayor said it is his understanding that Miller used multiple borough computers to engage in "proxy voting" in an attempt to unseat Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich, who has held the position since 2000.

"It is my understanding that Mr. Miller admitted in writing to the breach," Whitaker told the News-Miner. "It is my understanding that document is in his file."

Vital parts of those files, however, remain confidential.

Comments

[Patrick - Palingates]

02:46 AM on 10/20/2010

REVEALED: AK Senate candidate Joe Miller chose a private security firm for his campaign event which is very closely connected to an extreme Alaska militia group, headed by the notorious Norm Olson, who played a major role in the radical militia movement in the 1990's in Michigan.

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2010/10/revealed-joe-miller-hired-security.html

[Cali4BHO]

01:02 PM on 10/19/2010

what do u expect from the land of Palin.

[Hawaii5-0]

05:57 PM on 10/18/2010

Alaskan are supposed to be down-to-earth independent voters. If they can't tell the difference btwn an honest, ethical candidate and someone who admitted to ethics violations and uses his own security forces against members of the press, they deserve whomever they get as a Senator.
He'll be a No Show at the debate tonite btwn the other candidates. He says he's drawn a line in the sand. Would that be ethics and lack of ethics, or accountability and cowardice?

[jamilk99]

01:36 PM on 10/18/2010

It's not trespass if he was on public property at a public event. The security guards should have been arrested for assault & battery. He should probably consider suing them civilly if the prosecutors up there won't bring criminal charges.

[William Watson]

11:49 AM on 10/18/2010

Another abuse of an electoral process by a Republican. Is there a training school somewhere they all attend?

[zapata86303]

06:41 PM on 10/18/2010

Probably one of the classrooms at the School for the Americas, right nextdoor to the one that trains Third World cops how to form death squads.

[russ1169]

08:18 AM on 10/18/2010

Does his security staff wear brown shirts?

[willandjansdad]

07:28 AM on 10/18/2010

The Baggers will use intimidation and fear to get elected and then use the same tactics to stay in power...These people are truly scary.

[LolaGetz]

03:28 AM on 10/18/2010

No wonder Sarah Palin likes Miller. Like Palin, he abused his position to try and get someone else kicked off their job. Scary to think that either of those losers might ever have power on a national scale.

[irishgramm]

02:10 AM on 10/18/2010

Joe Miller clearly appears to be an arrogant, controlling man, and appears to be, from what now are several reports, a dishonest ego maniac and is a scandalous opportunity looking for a place to happen..... This seems to have been only reinforced with his own statements as more of his "history" and past comments have been coming to light. On the other hand, the Democrat, Scott McAdams seems very down to earth and a decent man, a very real person, especially decent in the extreme in comparrison to Joe Miller. Alaska has a real choice in this election, it will be interesting to see if genuine character trumps decit and very real arrogance .....BTW. that "line" Miller has "drawn in the sand" could be a deep gully for him to tumble into. Clearly he is hiding his past behavior and past indefensible comments, but as we all know, the truth WILL ALWAYS come out, sooner or later..................






s

[Male Shub]

02:00 AM on 10/18/2010

Miller wants to move "this State" forward! Power to the states, not the Fed. Maybe he wants the treat the military like social security, medicare, etc.... Russia would have retaken Alaska a long time ago if Millers' were in power!

[whirlybird]

01:26 AM on 10/18/2010

That guy just oozes corruption and sleaze.

[yellowdog71]

06:56 PM on 10/15/2010

The GOP truly believes the ends justifies the means. Winning at all costs is a mentality that will endanger the republic. There was a time in this nation when a candidate running for office was expected to speak to the media. If they refused, the electorate understood the candidate had something to hide (a particular viewpoint, skeleton in the closet, etc.) and rejected them at the voting booth.
Now, as Miller, despite his psych0t!c views, is still ahead, the GOP sees this method as paying off. By only speaking to the holy grail of ignorance, F0X "News", the electorate and the candidates on the right-hand side continue their slide down the evolutionary scale and the GOP War on Intelligence continues.

The right says the Left consider themselves as "elites." Considering what we contend with on the right, who can blame us for that??

[Janicot]

05:55 PM on 10/18/2010

The GOP sees this method as paying off because, for them, it DOES pay off. This is exactly the sort of behavior conservatives want to see in their candidates, and actively encourage. If these guards had broken the reporter's neck, Miller would be ahead in the polls by double digits.

[yellowdog71]

07:33 PM on 10/20/2010

We are one country, pretending we are another. Great reply. You are right.

[kareemachan]

06:55 PM on 10/15/2010

Some kinda candidate you got yourself, AK teabaggers. If it weren't for the rest of the people in the state, I'd say you deserve him, but they deserve better than that.

[yellowdog71]

06:54 PM on 10/15/2010

Enthusiasm Gap, Schmenthusiasm Gap!

Dems have a fighting chance, not the armageddon being proposed by the media.

But even if the GOP does win it only gives Obama a virtual guarantee for re-election, at least according to Mitch McConnell....

"Go back 100 years and every time the president lost a Congress two years into the first term, he got re-elected" Mitch McConnell, October 7, 2010

I've said it before and I will say it EVERY DAY until the election:
I don't think progressives are as disillusioned as the GOP like to think. We KNOW what happens if we don't scratch and claw for every vote.

The pundits are feeding the newscycle and the media is repeating the meme: Democrats are disparaged, disillusioned and won't turn out in great numbers this November.

They are HOPING that actual Democratic voters will see that over and over and over and over and decide to stay home on Election Day, thus proving both the method and the result.

If Democrats believe the hype, the headlines which have been written months ago will be true. If Democrats do what they know to be right: get out and vote, then headlines will be re-written.

If you are liberal or progressive the GOP is NO alternative. Not happy with the Dems? Fine.......B!TCH, complain and give 'em H&LL but if you don't vote you lose your voice! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! Bring every progressive with you, kicking and screaming if you have to!!!!!!

[Jevad]

01:48 AM on 10/18/2010

Sadly its not the progressives that I worry for, its the largely "independent"/uniformed voters that dont care enough to question the lies flying at them by the Repugnicans and NeoCon media.

[SoCalNick]

02:06 PM on 10/15/2010

"We've drawn a line in the sand," he said. "You can ask me about background, you can ask me about personal issues, I'm not going to answer them. I'm not. This is about the issues. ... This is about moving this state forward, and that's our commitment."

With this COWARDLY argument ANY convicted person guilty of the most horrible crimes imaginable could run for office today. Are Americans REALLY this ignorant?

" Ignore my past and pretend I have been a perfect citizen and give me a shot at RUNNING YOUR LIVES???"

Really???

That is all

[shieldvulf]

01:26 AM on 10/18/2010

Gee, I thought one of the leading issues was to keep the corrupt out of political office. I thought character mattered.