Two state representatives are saying that a third has acted improperly on the House floor, threatening to withhold campaign cash if a member didn’t vote the right way on a measure.
Rep. David Eastman of Wasilla sent a letter to Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux of East Anchorage on April 14. The letter describes an incident that could only have involved LeDoux and Rep. Lora Reinbold of Eagle River, according to those who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In the incident, LeDoux is alleged to have made a threat while on the House Floor of the Capitol to withhold money from Reinbold.
The letter dated April 14 doesn’t refer to LeDoux by name but said that “a member” who has a political action committee threatened another representative who sits next to him by saying she would withhold political action committee campaign funds during the next election cycle.
LeDoux has a political action committee, “Gabby’s Tuesday PAC.” Rep. Paul Seaton also has a political action committee, and so does Eastman, for that matter, although his has no significant money.
Here’s how we are told it happened by those who were there: While on the House floor on April 13, LeDoux was putting pressure on Reinbold to vote against an amendment offered by Chris Birch of South Anchorage.
Reinbold stood her ground and refused, at which point LeDoux got increasingly upset and told her that her “next campaign will not be receiving any donations from the other House member’s PAC,” according to Eastman’s account, which was distributed by mail to legislators’ mailboxes in the Capitol.
“While this situation is unfortunate for many reasons, it occurred to me that there may need to be some rules put out that speak to disseminating information on the House Floor that helps legislators adjust their campaign fundraising expectations. Though candidates will not be able to file for office until next month, providing such information could be construed as helping a candidate plan their fundraising efforts,” Eastman wrote.
LeDoux is the House Rules chair and has enforced such rules as disallowing Republican members to refer to unallocated funds as “slush funds,” or to government workers as “bureaucrats.” It would be within her power to create such a rule as suggested by Eastman.
The Muldoon member was a Democrat before she was a Republican, and has now joined with Democrats in ruling the House of Representatives. Her fellow Republicans are in the minority for the first time in decades.
What was the Birch amendment that got LeDoux so agitated at Reinbold, enough to threaten her over political action committee cash? It was an amendment that would have prohibited legislators from having political action committees like the one that LeDoux started last year.
Reinbold has stated to others that such PACS are nothing more than redistributing lobbyists’ money and she believes them to be unethical.
Speaker Bryce Edgmon was the recipient of $1,000 of “Gabby’s Tuesday PAC” money.
LeDoux was taking it personally, sending notes to Reinbold on the House Floor to no avail, and then finally walking over to her during an at-ease and making what could be construed as a political threat involving the exchange of money.
Or, as some might refer to such actions, trying to trade votes for cash. That could be a matter for the Alaska Public Offices Commission, or at least the Legislative Ethics Committee.
Eastman is a minority member and Reinbold is a minority alternate of the Legislative Ethics Committee. It is likely both would have to recuse themselves should the matter be brought before the committee.
At what point does the Alaska Bar Association get involved to censure an erratic and out-of-control power-hungry lawyer like LeDoux?
She’s already bullied, threatened and intimidated lobbyists to contribute to her PAC.
She’s already thwarted the House’s advancement of SB 5 – an important bill that would halt lobbyists and other moneyed-interests facility from giving to her PAC.
And today, her leadership team lacked the wherewithal to restrain her bizarre outbursts during their press conference.
What will it take to stop LeDoux?
Legislators to wear body-cams on the House floor?
The state House Democrats made a pact with the devil – they now own her lock, stock and barrel.
FYI
SB 5 has passed the Senate unanimously. It is stuck in House CR&A committee. Repeated communications to chairs Rep. Fansler (Bethel) and Rep. Parrish (Juneau) to hear the bill and move it along (to State and Judiciary) has netted nothing but absolute silence from them.
Who do Fansler and Parrish serve?
LeDoux or their constituents?
SB 5 : “An Act prohibiting certain groups from soliciting and accepting contributions or from making certain contributions and expenditures during a regular or special legislative session; and prohibiting some lobbyists from making campaign contributions to certain groups.”
LeDoux is out of control! It is more than a power trip, it is an awful display of disrespect for her fellow Dem’s, and the entire legislative process. She is issuing threats and ultimatums in her quest for power. WAKE-UP ANCHORAGE! Her District needs to REIGN HER IN!
How about a recall for LeDoux (as a start…there are a few others that need to go too). She meets the criteria – she’s obviously corrupt, not only for her recent actions but the fact that she masqueraded as a Republican to get elected but is instead a Leftist Democrat. She’s also incompetent since she sides with a party that can’t seem to find a single way to trim the size of Alaska’s state government, but instead seems to believe that it’s her job to protect said government from downsizing to meet our current fiscal realities.
I think there is professional help and powerful MEDICATION needed for this woman!
Angry Gabby is the definition of a corrupt politician. Lady needs a wake up call.
Le Douchebag is on borrowed time.
Maybe we should name the Baranof Room 603 (formerly Bill Allen suite) The Gabby LeDoux PAC Room.
Comments are closed.