Ex-Veco exec says he bribed Cowdery, Stevens

Alaska Politics

From Kyle Hopkins at the courthouse --

Former Veco executive Rick Smith just said he bribed former Sen. Ben Stevens and sitting Anchorage Sen. John Cowdery.

His comment came as prosecutor Nicholas Marsh asked Smith who he’d plead guilty to bribing.

Smith said Reps. Pete Kott, Bruce Weyhrauch and Vic Kohring.

What about in the state Senate, Marsh asked.

“That would be Ben Stevens and John Cowdery,” Smith said.

Cowdery and Stevens have not been indicted. Yesterday, when former Veco chief Bill Allen was asked a similar question, he mentioned Stevens but not Cowdery, though Allen did describe a close personal relationship with Cowdery.

Smith is on the stand right now. He’s been asked about various phone conversations secretly recorded by the feds -- what did he mean and what was he trying to do?

Smith described one conversation he had with Veco chief Bill Allen, for example:

“In this conversation, Bill and I were discussing that whatever it would take to get … enough legislative votes to pass 20/20, we would do. And that would include financial issues with legislators or other issues …”

(He’s talking about Veco’s efforts to get the Legislature to adopt a tax rate that Veco and the oil companies wanted.)

The prosecutor asked what Smith meant by “financial issues.”

Smith said that could mean “campaign contributions … could mean other financial support.”

Smith said the Veco execs were willing to give politicians jobs or simply give them “actual dollars” in exchange for their support of the tax rate.