Alaska state House Rep David Eastman narrowly avoided being removed from the November ballot over his membership in the Oath Keepers as a judge ruled on Thursday it is too close to the election to make changes to the ballots. However Alaska Superior Court Judge Jack McKenna also wrote Eastman is likely to be kicked out of office and barred from running again in a December trial based on the weight of evidence and testimony already provided by a challenger to his eligibility, finding the plaintiff had shown a “high probability of success” on the merits of the case against Eastman.
The plaintiff, Randall Kowalke, a former local legislator, had challenged Eastman’s eligibility for office under the state Constitution’s “Disqualification for Disloyalty” clause, which stipulates “No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party or organization or association which advocates, the overthrow by force or violence of the government of the United States or of the State shall be qualified to hold any public office of trust or profit under this constitution.”
Seeing as how the leadership of the Oath Keepers are about to go on trial for seditious conspiracy, Eastman holds a “Life Membership Commemorative Certificate,” and was in DC on the 6th (though he was not arrested or charged with any crime), it looks like kind of an open and shut case against the sick son of a bitch. It’s just too bad the legislature didn’t already kick him out themselves.