Alaska congressman’s office says he’s been cleared in Justice Dept. probe

Young office says he’s cleared in DOJ probe

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, has been cleared in a federal corruption investigation, his office said Wednesday.

Young’s legal team was notified by the Department of Justice that the case will not be prosecuted, said Young spokeswoman Meredith Kenny.

The congressman was facing federal investigations of connections to an Alaska businessman convicted of bribing state lawmakers and a spending bill earmark that benefited a campaign supporter in Florida.

Young has been under investigation for years, but documents filed last year linking him to a wide-ranging investigation of corruption in Alaska were the first related public document from the government.

Young has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly declined to speak on the matter, citing advice of his lawyers. His campaign has spent more than $1 million on his legal expenses.

Young, seeking his 20th term, is facing political newcomer Sheldon Fisher in the Aug. 24 Republican primary.

Young first won statewide office in 1973 in a special election after U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, a Democrat and father of current U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, died in a plane crash in southeast Alaska.