Rep. David Eastman called for a “sense of the House” to have all members vote Friday on whether the video of last week’s legislative beer-and-ping-pong party in the Terry Miller Building should be released to the public.
Speaker Louise Stutes immediately pounded her gavel and called an at-ease.
The at-ease went into a recess that ended up lasting hours, and when the House reconvened, Rep. Sara Rasmussen was gone, while the other two partying legislators, Rep. Zack Fields and Rep. Kelly Merrick remained to continue conducting business. A vote was taken to lay the sense of the House “on the table,” and a majority of members present agreed with that motion, including the two members — Fields and Merrick — who have starring roles in the video.
It’s fair to expect some legislator will pick it back up off the table on Monday.
The kerfuffle in the House arose after the beer-drinking, ping pong players brought in special members of the public to the gymnasium at the adjacent building for an evening of recreation that included leg wrestling. Must Read Alaska has a public records request filed to get a copy of that video.
No members of the public are allowed in the Capitol complex due to the Legislature’s own Covid precautionary rules. The public has been shut out of the seat of government for over a year.
Additionally, it’s now known that someone in the group gave a member of the public a key card to leave the party and return with more beer. It is against the Legislature’s rules to give a Capitol key card to anyone else.
Stutes has been trying to tamp down the scandal. The party itself is not noteworthy, as legislators are known to party, but allowing some people into the building to party, while excluding all other Alaskans from their Capitol, is the issue that has Fields, Rasmussen, and Merrick on the hot seat over their judgment.
Rasmussen and Merrick have apologized, but Fields has not and was heard loudly cursing Rep. Eastman’s name in the halls of the Capitol on Friday.
“…pubic records request”, Suzann? Just checking. Tom
You got me. – sd
As much as I enjoy the legislative drama here, it seems to me that we are being misdirected from the real adult decisions that need to be made,
…these members’ actions are hereby condemned as having undermined the dignity of the Legislature and resulted in a breach of trust with the people of the State of Alaska that must be restored.
Sometimes quitting is the best alternative. We all have different conscience training. Corrupting public servants is not a justification for government. Government is supposed to be temporary and small and exists to PROTECT the US Constitution, our republic and protect the public and all their rights. If that’s not what you are going to do – go away.
Chris,
No doubt, had the elected members made the adult decisions they were elected to make perhaps they wouldn’t have spent so much time playing grabass. We need elected officials who can and will do the job they volunteered to do.
Zack Fields is obviously a punk
Rasmussen is immature.
Merrick is missing her youth.
We’re in great hands.
We need more legislators like Eastman. He represents his district quite well.
From the beginning I realized that Zack Fields has no place in the Alaska legislature. At every opportunity he creates drama and converts his childishness into scandals that only serve to waste time. Tell him to take his drama to a much smaller stage. Voters in that district need to get him gone.
This Theater of the Absurd almost makes one wonder if Speaker Stutes realizes she picked the wrong bimbo Republican to join her in betraying the majority Republicans who elected them, doesn’t it?
Children, children, big boys and girls have to face the consequences of their actions to learn to become responsible adults.
Thank goodness the members of the Republican caucus have good sense, hopefully they keep it. if this incident was any real Republicans YOU KNOW they will not only be disciplined but also the security tapes will be released, even forced to resign. Eastman and Kurka made a good point why have security cameras if they arent going to be used for cases such as this incident, besides they are used in a public building belonging to the public.
Its time for the traditional legislature parties stopped, its no wonder why Alaska in the shape its in, legislators (and their spouses hosting drunken parties of their own) spanning the last 70 years have been passing bad bills drunk and hung over like U.S.S.R communist government elected officials done. There just not enough time during the day already for meeting in the capital among colleagues, reading lengthy bills for themselves, and communicating and responding to their constituents.
Being a government worker is no different than an private employee working at a hotel, who on one drunken night showed up on camera peeing on outside of their employers building. The next day this person was fired, but also they werent a very good employee leading up to the incident.
I think they could monetize it by licensing the video to the Bear Tooth, where it could played for the public who could a proper drink (beer) while watching the clowns.
Everyone involved needs to resign or be fired. They sure aren’t leading by example. Worse than teenagers, they knew better.
I hope your spouses are happy.
This sounds like the Bill Allen days
Where is the AG ? Laws for them and laws for the little guy. What a bunch of fools the voters have become. Let’s elect some crooks and watch them steel from us and make laws for us while they party on Rome burns. Real leaders we have.
Get the video
All Alaskans want to see.
Then make these elected men/women resign if not vote these people out.
Wait we make the rules. They don’t apply to us.
Don’t look behind the curtain.
David Eastman, The Bad Cop of the Republican Majority. Sic em David.
As taxpayers, (yeah, I know; but we essentially are by having our PFDs reduced, paying for this nonsense) that is OUR video from OUR security cameras. WE own it.
.
If for no other reason to embarrass these clowns, the end result to get them voted out.
.
This explains at least some of the problems I the AK Leg.
The reason why Kelly Merrick and Sara Rasmussen are hanging out with these types are two fold. First, they get their kudus from this crowd, and second, they are them.
What is this the Spanish Inquisition? Prohibition era? Salem Witch Trials? They had a gathering in the gymnasium. Good Grief! It’s like watching an episode of the Handmaid’s tale. Censuring, Shaming, demanding a surveillance tape be broadcast to the public.
Thank God someone has the guts to stand up to idiotic, dirty toilet plunger sell-outs like Stutes and sophomoric, soulless bullies like Fields. It’s not surprising that Fields trying to avoid taking responsibility and sweep his irresponsible indiscretions under the rug. Just like Cuomo and Clinton, Fields is a student of Alinski tactics. Deny, obfuscate, threaten, distort, project, etc. In so doing, it is Fields who is selfishly causing the distraction from the true business at hand being addressed by the House. Stop blaming the public and others who want transparency and decency from public officials!
I don’t care for ‘eeeem.
I lean toward agreeing with Chris Nyman and Pandora. I am sorry but the excessive Covid restrictions are driving me nuts and I can somewhat understand a bit of ‘stir crazy’ behavior. I truly believe there is far too much focus on this when there are more important issues at hand that need attention. This certainly is not comparable to the Bill Allen days. Good grief . The publicity and public outcry have been adequate and I think we can now move along and get back to work. It was an evening of foolishness. I am no fan of Fields or even Rasmussen any more but they were elected and are there and need to get back to work. Allow the next election to deal with their behavior.
Pandora, back in your box.
Merrick, Rasmussun, and Zack “Hunter Biden Jr.” Fields are not leaders. They are arrogant, money-wasting clowns without any real world skills.Release the video. Make them answer for it, like the adolescents that they are. – M.John.
They are not childrens they are our elected officials. Statements like, the public’s making this into a bigger deal than it is and we need to move on. Yeah those statements are exactly why elected officials believe and get away with the things they get away with. First it was giving powers to democrats as elected republicans, now it’s party at States building while the public is locked out of those same building, what’s next? Should we “the hiring managers” for these elected officials just go ahead and give them the keys to stay in power for as long as they like? There’s still work that needs to be done for Alaskans and there’s what a month left? Let’s get to work and party after.
It’s Greek to Me!
This session’s House is a complete disaster. It took the conniving Demonrats weeks to lure enough RINOs to form yet another “coalition” so they can wrest control, and now these morons are playing kissy-face and ping-pong. The Alaska Republican Party ought to consider lowering the hammer on these Lisa Murkowski Wannabes while they’re still busy playing easy-to-get with the horny liberals from downtown.
While the most vulnerable die on the streets, beaten and betrayed, they party on as if we mean nothing to them, and this proves we don’t mean anything to them. They are, in truth, celebrating our pain as a job well done.
Eastman is spot on! Let’s see how these elected juvies act when not on script……….or when they are too dumb not to see the cameras.
“Additionally, it’s now known that someone in the group gave a member of the public a key card to leave the party and return with more beer. It is against the Legislature’s rules to give a Capitol key card to anyone else.”
I’m just curious…What else was or potentially could have been accessed in the building with this key besides the front door?
Does Mrs. Fields know that Zackie Boy fiddles around? What does this tell you about Mrs. Fields?
Dear Alaskan Legislators: Whot do you do about moral turpitude? What do your ignored rules say? You might want to take a peek.
I thought Rasmussen was horribly offended by Fields the other week with some wisecrack he made about her figure. Now they’re playing beer pong with each other….. Why this just isn’t making any sense.
Criminal investigations taught me that when things don’t make sense there is a lie in it somewhere.
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