(Public Members of Alaska’s Ethics Committee sit as judges during an ethics trial)
Judges in Alaska are barred by law from donating to a political organization or a candidate for public office (Canon 5(A)(e)).
Public members of Alaska’s Legislative Ethics Committee are likewise barred by law from participating in, or even attending, fundraising events on behalf of political parties or legislative campaigns. They are also barred by law from making a donation in any political race involving the legislature or someone running against a legislator or a legislative employee (AS 24.60.134).
That’s what the law says. Public members of the Ethics Committee simply choose to ignore it.
Conner Thomas has been continuously serving on the Ethics Committee since he was first appointed in 1998. While sitting on the Ethics Committee he has publicly made political donations to the Alaska Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee (SDCC), #StopRepublicans, various Democrat candidates running against Republican legislators, and many other partisan causes.
He has been allowed to do this and continue serving on the committee because public members of the Ethics Committee habitually ignore violations of the law when committed by their fellow members of the Ethics Committee. In some cases, members have served on the committee and worked together for more than twenty-five years. Also, the committee (or those hired by the committee) are the ones who recommend to the chief justice that members should be reappointed to additional terms on the committee.
Last year, the committee even went so far as to convince Chief Justice Maassen to intentionally delay his reappointment of current members of the committee until after their terms of office had already expired. By intentionally delaying their own reappointment, members of the Ethics Committee circumvent the state law that prevents them from continuing to remain on the committee after the legislature has refused to confirm their reappointment.
Given the power wielded by the committee, some legislators are reluctant to object to current members of the committee being given additional terms, especially considering the prospect that those same members will continue to sit on the committee even if the legislature is successful in blocking their confirmation.
In 2020, Chief Justice Bolger reappointed Joyce Anderson to the committee for another term. The 31st Legislature quietly declined to confirm her appointment. Instead of resigning, she chose to continue to sit on the committee just as if the legislature had voted to confirm her appointment. Because the chief justice had delayed submitting her reappointment until after her previous term had expired, she was able to continue sitting on the committee uninterrupted until her appointment could be confirmed by a future legislature.
Imagine what it would be like to be a Republican legislator and to know that, at any time, you could be hauled into a courtroom presided over by a judge who is fully committed to the success of the Democratic Party. Would you expect to get a fair shake?
This is what it is like for legislators from conservative districts who have the misfortune of being labeled “too conservative” by those serving on the Ethics Committee in Juneau. It is a glimpse into what legislators like Lora Reinbold, Christopher Kurka, Tammie Wilson and others experienced at the hands of the Ethics Committee during their time in the legislature. In the case of Rep. Kurka and Sen. Reinbold, that treatment continued even after they had left the legislature.
Sen. Reinbold decided not to run for reelection in 2022 and to instead continue to battle the Ethics Committee in court. Rep. Kurka decided instead of running for reelection to run for governor. On April 25th, a fraudulent ethics complaint was filed against Rep. Kurka during his campaign for governor. On April 26th, the day after the complaint was filed, the Chair of the Ethics Committee made a campaign donation to Bill Walker, one of Rep. Kurka’s opponents in the primary election.
Predictably, the Ethics Committee then proceeded to drag out the investigation against Rep. Kurka for more than 18 months, forcing him to incur thousands of dollars in legal expenses before finally concluding, after his campaign had already ended, that the complaint was baseless.
To avoid the obvious conflict of interest that arises when legislators are legally investigated and prosecuted at taxpayer expense by their opponent’s supporters, the Ethics Act bars individuals who wish to make these kind of donations from serving on the Ethics Committee.
State law goes further than simply saying that a member of the Ethics Committee is prohibited from making a particular campaign donation when they are serving as chairman of the committee, or that they are prohibited from making a particular campaign donation when they are presiding over an ethics case involving a particular legislator. The Ethics Act bars members of the committee from making a donation for or against any legislator under any circumstances. Those who wish to influence elections involving legislators aren’t barred from making campaign donations, they are barred from serving on the Ethics Committee.
During his time on the Ethics Committee, Conner Thomas has made over 1,200 donations to Democrat candidates, the Democratic Party, and Democrat-affiliated groups. The fact that the Ethics Act, which he is sworn to uphold, specifically prohibits him from making a number of these donations has not stopped him from doing so.
This is the person that current members of the Ethics Committee unanimously elected to be their chairman, not just once, but repeatedly.
This ought to tell you something about the political leanings of those currently sitting on this committee. It should also tell you something about what conservative legislators are up against in Juneau today. It’s not a fair fight when your political opposition breaks the law with impunity and then uses public funds to prosecute you for made-up crimes.
No legislator worth their salt should be voting to tolerate these kinds of on-going abuses.
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Some of the many campaign donations made by Conner Thomas while serving on the committee include:
On April 4, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Bill Walker who was running against Rep. Kurka in the primary election. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On April 22,2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mary Peltola, who was running against Sen. Josh Revak for Alaska’s vacant congressional seat. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On April 26, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a second campaign donation to Rep. Kurka’s opponent, Bill Walker. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On June 7, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party. Note: this donation was made while Sen. Josh Revak was running against Mary Peltola for Alaska’s vacant congressional seat.
On November 21, 2020, while serving as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to Stop Republicans. The Ethics Act permits staff contracted by the Ethics Committee to engage in certain political activities “if doing so will not lead to the appearance that the committee is subject to undue political influence and there is no appearance of impropriety” (AS 26.40.134). Should we expect committee staff to follow the law if Ethics Committee leadership openly refuses to be held to this same standard?
On January 14, 2021, while serving as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a second political donation to Stop Republicans.
On September 8, 2021, while serving as Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a third political donation to Stop Republicans.
On October 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee (SDCC). The SDCC is a subdivision of the Alaska Democratic Party. Campaign donations made to the SDCC in 2018 were transferred to Rep. Scott Kawasaki’s legislative campaign for state senate. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On August 22, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On September 13, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On September 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Bill Walker who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On September 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On September 20, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On September 27, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 4, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 11, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 18, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 19, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 21, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 24, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On October 25, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On November 1, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.
On May 16, 2016, while serving as House Subcommittee Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party.
On March 31, 2015, while serving as House Subcommittee Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party.
On June 30, 2014, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Byron Mallott who was then campaigning with Senate Minority Leader Hollis French as Democrat candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.
Records show that while serving on the Legislative Ethics Committee, Conner Thomas made over a thousand political donations to the Democratic Party and other partisan causes.
