State Democrats Accuse David Eastman of Falsifying Oxford Fellowship; GOP Denies Claim

The Alaska Democratic Party is accusing the Republican nominee for House District 10 of lying about his academic history, but the Republican Party’s chairman says the candidate did nothing wrong.

In a press release issued Thursday morning, the Alaska Democratic Party alleges that David Eastman did not take part in a “Graduate Fellowship” at the University of Oxford in England as he claims in the 2016 official election pamphlet printed by the State of Alaska.

As evidence, the Democratic Party provided an email from Max Todd, Assistant Registrar at the University of Oxford.   In the email, which is a response to a Freedom of Information request, Todd states that there is no record of David Eastman attending the University, and that “Graduate Fellowship” is not a phrase recognized by the institution. KTNA has verified that the email is genuine.

The Freedom of Information request also asks for more information regarding the Summit Oxford Study Programme, the program attended by David Eastman. In his reply, Max Todd says his department is “not aware of any formal relationship between this organization and the University.” He says there may be an affiliation with colleges at Oxford, but that those are independent of the University itself.

Tuckerman Babcock, Chairman of the Alaska Republican Party, responded on David Eastman’s behalf to a request for comment. Babcock believes there is nothing wrong with Eastman’s statement on the official election pamphlet, since the Summit at Oxford Programme is affiliated with New College, which is part of the University of Oxford. He says the information request by the Alaska Democratic Party that turned up no enrollment by Eastman was specifically made to receive the desired result, since Oxford’s colleges are each run independently. The Alaska Democratic Party is not disputing that Eastman attended the Summit at Oxford Programme, but that it does not amount to a “graduate fellowship” at the University of Oxford.

David Eastman’s entry in the state’s election literature does not mention New College or Summit Ministries, just the University of Oxford. Babcock claims that’s normal for anyone who attends a college at Oxford, and states that Eastman’s use of “Graduate Fellowship” is meant to clarify that he did not do his undergraduate or graduate work there and is not intended to exaggerate his educational background.

Knowingly falsifying campaign communications is a crime under Alaska state law. Alaska Democratic Party Communications Director Jake Hamburg says the party is reviewing that section of statute with an attorney, but did not say whether a complaint would be filed.