Alaska Republican state Rep. David Eastman speaks on the floor of the Alaska House on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska House tabled action Monday on a proposal to remove from legislative committees Eastman, who has said he joined the Oath Keepers far-right organization years ago. The House Committee on Committees voted 5-2 to remove Republican Rep. Eastman of Wasilla from his committee assignments, said Joe Plesha, communications director for the House’s bipartisan majority. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Alaska Republican state Rep. David Eastman speaks on the floor of the Alaska House on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. The Alaska House tabled action Monday on a proposal to remove from legislative committees Eastman, who has said he joined the Oath Keepers far-right organization years ago. The House Committee on Committees voted 5-2 to remove Republican Rep. Eastman of Wasilla from his committee assignments, said Joe Plesha, communications director for the House’s bipartisan majority. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

House tables vote affecting lawmaker with Oath Keepers ties

Eastman last week told The Associated Press he joined the Oath Keepers “a little over 12 years ago”

By Becky Bohrer

Associated Press

JUNEAU — The Alaska House tabled action Monday on a proposal to remove from legislative committees a state representative who has said he joined the Oath Keepers far-right organization years ago.

The House Committee on Committees voted 5-2 to remove Republican Rep. David Eastman of Wasilla from his committee assignments, said Joe Plesha, communications director for the House’s bipartisan majority.

The meeting was not widely publicized beforehand, and Eastman expressed concern with the lack of transparency around the decision.

The matter was tabled on the House floor following an objection from Eastman, who said a vote affecting his role as an alternate on a legislative ethics committee needed to be handled separately.

Eastman last week told The Associated Press he joined the Oath Keepers “a little over 12 years ago. Along with 38,000 others who have committed to honoring the oaths we have taken.”

A leader of the Oath Keepers and other members or associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy related to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Eastman has said that he does not condone the storming of the Capitol.

House Speaker Louise Stutes, speaking with reporters about Monday’s floor session, said there were issues that needed to be addressed, including the point raised by Eastman. “We want to give the minority an opportunity to address the situation from within as well,” she said. Eastman is part of an 18-member Republican minority.

House Minority Leader Cathy Tilton said the minority was ready to advance to a vote Monday. She said her members were free to vote as they choose.

Tilton, who with a fellow minority member voted no on the committee report, said it’s a “slippery slope” for the Legislature to make determinations about a person’s involvement in an organization. She noted there have been no charges against Eastman.

Stutes said she expected another committee on committees meeting as early as Tuesday.

More in News

The Alaska Board of Fisheries hears public testimony at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 18, 1999. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion file)
Board of Fisheries again declines to hold Upper Cook Inlet meeting on Kenai Peninsula

The State Board of Fisheries this week rejected calls from the Kenai… Continue reading

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski takes a selfie with Rose Burke at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Burke won the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington, D.C., in December to light the tree. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Connections student to light U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Rose Burke, 9, won the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington D.C.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Soldotna man arrested for possession of child sex abuse material

He was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility

A cruise ship is docked in Seward, Alaska on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward gets nearly $46 million for power upgrades at port

The funds are intended to transform Seward’s port into a “green port”

Troopers Joseph Miller Jr. and Jason Woodruff are seen in a screenshot from body camera footage taken in Kenai, Alaska, on May 24, 2024. (Photo provided by Alaska Department of Law)
Grand jury indicts 2 troopers on felony assault charge

The complaint cites both audio and body camera footage

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Escott named new chief of Soldotna Police

Stace Escott has been promoted to chief of the Soldotna Police Department,… Continue reading

Campaign signs fill a wall near Paradisos Restaurant in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Candidates spend big on radio advertising, print mailers in final weeks of campaign

Only a week before the general election on Nov. 5, candidates are… Continue reading

An Alaska Division of Elections Official Election Pamphlet rests on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion newsroom on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
When, where to vote in the 2024 general election

Tuesday is Election Day! Voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough will head… Continue reading

Most Read