Don Young opens a legal defense fund

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who is under FBI investigation and faces a tough reelection fight, opened a legal defense fund earlier this month, according to House filings.

The House ethics committee approved the defense fund Jan. 9, but it has not reported taking any donations yet, and Young spokesman Mike Anderson would not say if anyone had written checks.

{mosads}“We had some feedback from some folks who said they wanted to help us out but they wanted to do so through a legal expense fund, so we went ahead and did that in the hopes that our campaign funds can be freed up,” he said.

Young spent nearly $450,000 of his campaign money on legal expenses last year as several political opponents lined up to try to defeat him, one in his own party. Young is facing a primary challenge from state Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux and a potentially difficult general election as well. National Democrats feel that former lieutenant governor candidate Ethan Berkowitz would be a strong challenger. Diane Benson (D)  —  who has previously challenged Young — and former state party chairman Jake Metcalfe (D)  are also running.

Late last week, Young’s campaign began airing TV ads in Alaska, underscoring the importance for Alaska of having a senior member representing the state.

“I’m the person that should be elected to that job,” he stressed. “Not for Don Young, but for Alaska.”  Young has attracted criticism from taxpayer watchdog groups for seeking the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.”

Young in 2006 attracted 57 percent of the state’s vote. President Bush won 61 percent of Alaska’s vote in 2004.

Anderson brushed off claims that Young is facing the most difficult race he’s had in years.

 “This one is the one with the most interest in a long time, but all his races have been tough,” he said.

The 18-term lawmaker had nearly $1.5 million in his campaign account as of Sept. 30, 2007, according to CQ Money Line. Young’s political action committee had over $238,000 at the end of last year.

Late last year, the Justice Department reportedly began investigating whether an Alaska oil contractor used golf tournaments to funnel cash to Young, a new development in a case stemming from a state bribery investigation involving VECO, a company that services pipelines and builds oil exploration equipment.

The legal expense fund filings name Gail Schubert, an executive vice president of Bering Straits Native Corporation, as the trustee of the fund. The entity is one of 13  Alaskan native regional corporations created to represent natives’ interests in land claims. Anderson said Schubert’s company granted her permission to serve as the trustee and that she is a lawyer and longtime friend of Young.

When contacted, Schubert declined to comment on her role.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who is also under FBI investigation because of his ties to VECO, has contributed $5,000 to Young’s campaign. Reps. David Dreier (R-Calif.) and Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) have also donated $1,000 each to Young.

Aaron Blake contributed to this article.