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Indicted Alaska Rep "Feels" Innocent, But Steps Down
State Rep. Vic Kohring (R-AK), indicted last month on federal bribery charges, has officially stepped down.
Last week, Kohring had reached out to members of his Wasilla district and urged them in an op-ed piece to email and call in their thoughts on whether he should stay in office while he battled the charges.
In his resignation speech yesterday, he didn't mention constituent input (or the 50 voters outside the luncheon wielding "Resign Now Vic" signs), but told the Associated Press:
"I take the job as a legislator very seriously, but my life is on the line, so I have chosen to defend myself so I can prevail in court," Rep. Vic Kohring told The Associated Press. "It's a very, very ugly decision to have to make, frankly.""Resigning by no means suggests guilt. It simply means I take the federal charges extremely seriously and intend to make every effort to prove I'm innocent in court," Kohring said. "I honestly, in my heart, feel that I am innocent."
Kohring was indicted in early May along with two former state lawmakers as part of the ongoing Veco investigation in Alaska. The three are accused of taking bribes in exchange for voting on a petroleum tax to benefit the oil services company.
Comments (11)
Rusty wrote on June 20, 2007 10:05 AM:Ah, if feeling something only made it so. Today I feel rich and like staying home from work. Yet, I am still in tha' struggle sitting at my desk.
Crust wrote on June 20, 2007 10:36 AM:What is it with Republicans these days and indirection? The "I honestly, in my heart, feel feel that I am innocent" (as opposed to the more usual and direct "I am innocent") sounds very Gonzales-esque.
Thrackazog wrote on June 20, 2007 11:23 AM:Crust @ 10:36 AM:
They're echoing Carter with their usual perversity: "I have lusted in my heart" => "I have NOT lusted in my heart for unlimited power, money, and favors."
Ed*ard Teller wrote on June 20, 2007 1:07 PM:Back in 1996 I wrote the first op-ed critical of Vic Kohring. We sparred on and off in print for a while afterward. At the time, I viewed him as fundamentally quite honest except when the gulf between his extreme libertarianism and his public party stance came into play. But by 2000, he had become dishonest in more ways, turning his campaign against Lucy Hope into a one-way smearfest. It was totally unnecessary, as Kohring was winning by his usual 20 points. We had been friendly toward each other up to that point, but his dishonest explanations to me about why he had been so sleazy to Lucy ended any hope I had that Kohring would keep his integrity if compromised.
paul wrote on June 20, 2007 1:20 PM:This makes me think: would he have voted for his sleazy plas' interests without the bribes, in which case we're just talking about honor among thieves, or did it take money to make him vote the way he did?
Ed*ard Teller wrote on June 20, 2007 1:23 PM:paul,
He would have voted their way anyway, but probably had heard throught the grapevine that deals were being made for votes.
DW wrote on June 20, 2007 1:58 PM:I suppose that Koehring needs to get creative with his defense, and fine-tune the argument that 'Corrupt Bastards Club' was just a hat hanging in his office, and that he *really* had no idea what it meant...
After all, this defense worked out so well for the 'Poway Mafia,' who were prosecuted on similar trumped up, meritles, and partisan charges!
DW wrote on June 20, 2007 1:59 PM:I suppose that Koehring needs to get creative with his defense, and fine-tune the argument that 'Corrupt Bastards Club' was just a hat hanging in his office, and that he *really* had no idea what it meant...
After all, this defense worked out so well for the 'Poway Mafia,' who were prosecuted on similar trumped up, meritless, and partisan charges!
casam wrote on June 20, 2007 9:13 PM:My observations of the "criminal" Republicans. They either look evil , the type that does business in back alleys OR they look like pasty, white, pudgy, couldn't get a date in high school, mamma's boys.
salmonshark wrote on June 21, 2007 4:55 AM:Hmmmmm....Interesting observation on how the indicted R looks.
Ever notice a pencil neck on the Sleazy D men?
Security Code: Scale
Soon Convicted, Abrogated Legislative Exemption
salmonshark wrote on June 21, 2007 4:58 AM:Hmmmmm....Interesting observation on how the indicted R looks.
Ever notice a pencil neck on the Sleazy D men?
Security Code: Scale
Soon Convicted- Alaska's Lost Elephants