Audio: Kott political corruption trial testimony and surveillance recordings

Posted by Anchorage Daily News

Anchorage Daily News

Posted: September 12, 2007 - 11:24 pm

Listen to excerpts from courtroom testimony and FBI surveillance recordings used in the political corruption trial of former Rep. Pete Kott.

Audio: FBI phone taps | Bill Allen testimony | Rick Smith testimony | Opening statements | Closing statements

Video: FBI hidden surveillance (contains graphic language)

Audio & video: Audio and video from the Kohring trial

- updates from the courtroom: Alaska Politics blog
- former Rep. Pete Kott trial coverage

Note: Many of these audio files are long and may take your computer several minutes to download. As long as a pop-up window is launched when clicked, the audio will eventually

Many of these recordings contain graphic language.

Page updated: 10/02/2007 - 11:09 p.m. AKST

FBI SURVEILLANCE RECORDINGS

Audio recordings admitted as evidence and played for the jury in the Kott trial. Unless otherwise noted, participants are then-Rep. Pete Kott, then-Veco Vice President Rick Smith, and then-Veco CEO Bill Allen. Summaries of the calls by David Hulen, Anchorage Daily News.

09/26/2005: Rick Smith and Pete Kott phone call

Kott: "I need a job." Smith: "You've got a job - give us a pipeline."

09/29/2005: Rick Smith and Pete Kott phone call

Kott expresses interest in being the warden of a Veco-built prison in Barbados

11/10/2005: Rick Smith and Pete Kott phone call

As part of talk of building a natural gas pipeline, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski has started talking about overhauling the state's oil and gas tax system. Smith says the legislature is going to have to pass a tax package in step with the governor.

01/08/2006: Pete Kott voice mail on Bill Allen’s cell phone

On the eve of the Legislature convening: "Uncle Bill...Just want to get what our instructions are."

01/10/2006: Pete Kott and Bill Allen phone call

Kott after Gov. Murkowski delivers state of the state speech. Allen asks about gas pipeline. Kott: "We’ll get 'er done, Bill. We’ll get 'er done.” Later, Kott says "I talked to (the governor's chief of staff) Jim Clark. I said, you know, if you want to get 'er done, you gotta deal with me, and I'll get 'er done for you. He said 'I know that.'" Kott and Allen criticize House Speaker John Harris.

01/26/2006: Pete Kott and Bill Allen phone call

Kott and Allen discuss when Allen should come to Juneau.

02/14/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith and Kott discuss legislative strategy on PPT.

02/20/2006: Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

Allen is agitated about Veco lobbyist (and former aide to both Kott and Murkowski) Kris Knauss and his relationship with the governor's office and Kott. "We put the...money into Pete Kott and everybody else. Not this kid...And he thinks he's got more horsepower than we got with Pete Kott as far as that goes, and I don't think he does." Smith tries to reassure Allen, saying Knauss is useful as a contact with the governor's office, but Allen doesn't buy it. "Right now (Murkowski chief of staff) Jim Clark thinks (Knauss) has more horsepower than we got."

02/20/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott and Allen discuss legislative strategy

03/05/2006: Bill Allen and Senate President Ben Stevens phone call

Discussing PPT and Rep. Gabrielle LaDoux of Kodiak -- “Pete says we can...he can get 'er”-- and Rep. Jay Ramras of Fairbanks. Allen describes Ramras as savvy on the issue and mentions that he's a friend of Sen. Gene Therriault of Fairbanks. "Be careful," says Stevens. "He ain't my friend, I'll tell you that."

03/10/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott calling from Washington, D.C., where he's having drinks with Doug Thierwechter, manager of government affairs for Marathon Oil. Kott says to Smith, "We’re gonna take care of Marathon in this deal...We can carve them out something.” Thierwechter gets on the phone with Smith and they talk about the gas pipeline. Then Smith tells Kott "don't you say a goddamned thing" to Thierwechter. "I tell you what - we went to bat for those guys in Cook Inlet and they dumped us on the maintenance contract." Replies Kott: "...All right, you know where my allegience is." Later in the call, Smith tells Kott to call Allen the next day to talk about "your deal with Ted and all that bullshit. He’ll want to hear that."

03/24/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott is reporting developments, including having Sen. Fred Dyson "over a barrel" by holding up an abortion bill. Later says, “When Bill Allen tells me he’s ready to vote 'er out, then I will vote it out.” Smith is with Allen and Veco lobbyist Bob McManus.

04/18/2006: Pete Kott and Bill Allen phone call

Talking about head counts in the House and Senate on tax bill.

05/06/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott says he's heard Weyhrauch is applying for a job with Veco. "Who said that?" asks Smith. "He did," says Kott.

05/07/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott and Smith discuss House vote to support PPT higher than Veco wanted. Among the problems: Weyhrauch "voted the wrong way."

05/07/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith congratulates Kott after House reconsideration vote later on May 7 rejects higher PPT than Veco wanted. Weyrauch and others changed their votes from earlier in the day.

05/08/2006: Pete Kott, Bruce Weyhrauch and Rick Smith phone call

Kott and Weyhrauch have just come out of a caucus meeting and are reporting the PPT lay of the land to Smith. Weyhrauch says, "What they want to do is buy the minority in the Senate. School money."

05/08/2006: Pete Kott, Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

Kott says Allen sent then-Rep. Lesil McGuire a note and it made a difference in how she voted on the tax rate.

05/29/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith says he’s going to a fundraiser for Murkowski. "Frank or Lisa?" "Frank." "Oh, jeez.”

06/01/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith says they are headed up to Sen. John Cowdery’s office.

06/03/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Discussing legislative strategy on PPT.

06/03/2006: Pete Kott, Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

They say state Sen. Gene Therriault and others are messing up the legislation on the gas pipeline.

06/03/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

They say state Sen. Gene Therriault and others are messing up the legislation on the gas pipeline.

Part 2

Kott tells Smith he is hearing rumors that the House is going to “bag the gas line” and deal with it another time. He urges Smith to pay Nancy (presumably state Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom) a visit.

06/03/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Kott tells Smith that the House Resources Committee added so many requirements to the gasline bill that no private company would ever do the project

06/06/2006: Bill Allen and Jim Bowles, president of Conoco Phillips Alaska

Allen tells Bowles "just between me and you, I've got Pete Kott...and Ben doing it." Bowles said the best possible outcome will be to “get this thing stopped.”

06/08/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith, then Kott and Bill Allen phone call

Allen tells Kott that Veco just opened a branch in Siberia and that’s where Kott is going because he didn’t get the tax rate that Veco wanted.

06/08/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith tells Kott he had talked to Dittman and everything was “all square” regarding the poll.

07/12/2006: Pete Kott, Rick Smith and Kott campaign advisor Jerry Mackie phone call

Mackie, at the time with Northwest Strategies, tells Smith that he had let Kott know that Smith and Allen were going to help out with a poll for Kott’s reelection bid. Kott said that was great, Mackie tells Smith.

07/12/2006: Pete Kott, Rick Smith and Kott campaign advisor Jerry Mackie phone call

Smith is with Mackie and calls Dittman to tell him to bill the poll to Veco.

07/22/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith says he’s rounded up more campaign donations. As August primary election approaches, they discuss the difficulty of keeping PPT votes together.

07/30/2006: Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

Smith reports being on the plane with lawmakers to or from Juneau, where legislature is in special session considering PPT. Smith asks about "Ben and Mulva,” reference to apparent dinner meeting between Ben Stevens and Conoco/Phillips President Jim Mulva.

07/30/2006: Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call (continuation of earlier clip)

Smith reports Kott, who faces opposition in upcoming primary election, is behind. Smith says Kott campaign consultant Jerry Mackie wanted a poll, and "I called Dittman and said, ‘We’ll take care of it."

07/30/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith: "We did a poll for you, you know that don’t you?” Kott: "Yeah.” Kott says Allen told him to attend a Rep. Don Young campaign event so he could get his picture taken with Young. Kott regrets not getting photo made earlier with Sen. Ted Stevens.

07/31/2006: Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

Allen observes that Kott needs more money for the upcoming election. "We need to figure out a way to get his son some money, and I don’t know exactly how to do that,” Allen says.

07/31/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Smith: “I need to talk to you about Junior...Where you want to meet?"

07/31/2006: Bill Allen and Rick Smith phone call

Smith, in Juneau waiting to meet Kott, updates Allen on status of PPT in special session. “We need to stay away from it...The producers are going to stay with the governor’s deal and the legislature is getting farther and farther away from the producers...This is bad for us.” Later, Smith says, “We’ve got to stay involved, I need to stay involved. You don’t because, I tell you what, I don’t want anybody getting tainted...I can get tainted, but you can’t get tainted.”Later in the call, Kott shows up, gets on the phone, and Allen asks if he’s figured out a way for Veco “to help Peter Junior..We’ve got to figure out something that’s foolproof.”

08/02/2006: Pete Kott and Rick Smith phone call

Discussing Kott flying to Anchorage for Don Young’s pig roast and the latest legislative action on Petroleum Profits Tax. Smith says he has a “hardwood floor check” to give him.

08/02/2006: Rick Smith call to Veco administrative employee Linda Croft

Discussing checks to Kott for hardwood floor work.

08/30/2006: Bill Allen and Pete Kott phone call

It's the day before the surprise raids of legislative offices by federal agents. Kott doesn't know it, but Allen is being questioned by the FBI. Allen calls Kott, and presses for Kott to talk about a recent payment from Veco to Kott’s son, who had managed his primary re-election campaign. Kott had lost the election the previous week. Kott seems confused why Allen is asking the question. “It was your check,” he tells Allen. Later, Kott says, “It was what we talked about, you and I, and then Rick gave me the check and that was it.” ”On what?” says Allen. “Remember, what we talked about three, four, five weeks ago, we’d just add on X-amount, I forget what it was exactly, to your bill or something.” The next day, teams of FBI agents would serve search warrants at legislative offices around the state, including Kott's, and the corruption investigation became widely known for the first time.

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Audio: Kott political corruption trial testimony and surveillance recordings

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