Alaska Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson resigned Tuesday following the publication of an Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation showing he sent hundreds of “uncomfortable” texts to a younger state employee.
Records obtained by the newsrooms found Clarkson sent 558 text messages between March 5 and March 31 to a woman whose job required she sometimes interact with the attorney general. In at least 18 messages he invited the woman to come to his home.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in an email Tuesday morning he had accepted Clarkson’s resignation.
“This administration has and always will expect the highest level of professional conduct in the workplace,” a statement from Dunleavy said. “There is nothing more important than the protection of our state employees, and that includes feeling safe when an employee is at work.
“Kevin Clarkson has admitted to conduct in the workplace that did not live up to our high expectations, and this is deeply disappointing. This morning he took responsibility for the unintentional consequences of his actions and tendered his resignation to me. I have accepted it.
“State law provides guidelines and protections for all state employees including confidentiality on personnel matters. The Governor’s office is bound by and conforms to those laws. My administration will continue to insist upon professional conduct from all our employees, regardless of their position in state government.”
The newsrooms learned of Clarkson’s behavior in June and first requested copies of the messages from the Department of Law -- which Clarkson oversees -- on June 4. In a June 19 response the Law Department said the state “has no records.” The governor’s office has declined to answer questions about when the governor learned of the behavior and what actions were taken between the discovery of the messages and Clarkson’s leave of absence, which began Aug. 1.
Earlier this month Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said Clarkson was expected to return to work Sept. 1 and declined to say if the attorney general was on paid or unpaid leave, citing personnel rules. On Friday the Department of Law, responding to another records request, clarified that Clarkson was on leave without pay.
Clarkson has not responded to repeated interview requests. Within two hours of the publication of the investigation on Tuesday, Dunleavy announced the attorney general had resigned.
In his resignation letter, provided by the governor’s office, Clarkson said there was “nothing remotely salacious” about his texts. “I believed we had a positive friendship borne of mutual respect and interests,” he said of the woman. “What I failed to recognize is the impact that these interactions had on this person, due to the disparity in our workplace rank.”
Under state and federal law it is illegal to create a hostile work environment for a fellow employee through unwanted and persistent behavior.
In the resignation letter, Clarkson apologized to Dunleavy, who appointed him in late 2018. “I wish to create no unnecessary distractions for you or your administration,” he wrote.
Read Clarkson’s letter:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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