The “shocking” raid by the FBI of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home was met with unshocking comments from Alaska’s political bigwigs.
Republicans supportive of the former president issued news releases and social media posts expressing outrage, frequently using the same phrasing as their political brethren nationwide. Moderate Republicans such as U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and major Democratic contenders largely avoided weighing in, also a common political tactic with news damaging to an opponent.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy was among the first prominent state politicians to react within a couple of hours of the story breaking Monday afternoon, firing off a string of three Twitter messages — more at one time than for any subject since June when he signed the state budget. The messages contained plenty of overlapping phrases and references with a statement Trump sent out on his Truth Social account, including mentions of Third World politics and use of the FBI against political opponents.
“This continues the politicization of the FBI against Donald Trump that started before he was even elected and continues to this day,” Dunleavy’s tweets stated. “Today’s action will only widen the divide in our country and further weaken trust in our Justice system. Presidents are elected by the citizens of this country, not by unelected bureaucrats using the FBI against their political opponents. This is smacks[sic] of Third World politics, and damages our standing in the world as a country that was founded on the rule of law.”
Dunleavy, seeking reelection to a second term, so far has a conditional endorsement from Trump dependent on the governor not endorsing Murkowski’s reelection campaign.
Republican U.S. Sen Sullivan — who implied this year he supports Murkowski by stating he supports “all Republican incumbents” despite getting Trump’s endorsement during the 2020 campaign — repeated the “unprecedented” characterization used by Trump and many fellow party supporters —as well as major news outlets.
“Like so many Americans, I am very disturbed by the unprecedented raid executed by the FBI against a former president,” Sullivan wrote. He also echoed Republicans in D.C. vowing scrutiny of the raid by declaring “the Department of Justice at the highest levels — the attorney general and the director of the FBI — needs to explain the reasons for another FBI raid that has the appearance of the justice system being weaponized against political opponents.”
While many national politicians invoked “whataboutism” references to Democratic figures such as Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden, Sullivan’s wrath focused on federal actions spanning multiple presidential administrations that generated controversy in Alaska.
“From Ted Stevens to the Huepers in Homer, to the EPA raids in Chicken, Alaska, and recently in the Mat-Su — I and so many other Alaskans are left with serious doubts about how federal officials are conducting law enforcement raids,” Sullivan wrote.
U.S. House candidate and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was introduced by Trump during a tele-rally Monday evening hours after the raid was conducted, issued a statement that was essentially a compilation of the flood of supporter reactions.
“I was outraged but not surprised to learn that the FBI has raided President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence,” she wrote. “The political establishment is so threatened by the America First movement that they will stop at nothing, including weaponizing law enforcement agencies for partisan purposes, to protect their stranglehold on power. President Trump is the target of yet another partisan witch hunt, but these third-world tactics will not deter him – or me – from fighting to Drain the Swamp and return control of government to the people where it belongs.
“There MUST be assurance in our country that all are equal under the law. We’ve heard for years of potential illegalities in the liberal politicians’ camp — just one ‘for instance’ is all of Hunter Biden’s shenanigans and how President Biden may be compromised. Other obvious examples include Hillary Clinton’s untoward acts. Yet nary a step is taken towards justice for America on that end.”
• Contact reporter Mark Sabbatini at Mark.Sabbatini@juneauempire.com.
