Trial starts: Alaska lawmaker with Oath Keepers ties

FILE - Alaska Republican state Rep. David Eastman speaks on the floor of the Alaska House on Jan. 31, 2022, in Juneau, Alaska. A lawyer said in opening arguments Tuesday, Dec. 13 in a case against Eastman that the Alaska lawmaker is unfit to hold office because he's a member of the far-right Oath Keepers, a group that has either advocated or engaged in concrete action to overthrow the U.S. government. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska lawmaker may be unfit to hold office because he’s a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group that has either advocated for or engaged in concrete action to overthrow the U.S. government, a lawyer said Tuesday in opening arguments for a case against state Rep. David Eastman.

“We are going to present overwhelming evidence on both those elements,†said Goriune Dudukgian, a lawyer with an Anchorage civil rights law firm. Dudukgian represents Randall Kowalke, a Wasilla resident whose lawsuit seeks to disqualify Eastman from holding office.

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