Fearing Trump, Sen. Dan Sullivan keeps forgetting to mention his support for Sen. Lisa Murkowski

In his 37-minute meandering address to the Alaska Federation of Natives, Sen. Dan Sullivan forgot once again to say that he supports the reelection of Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Sullivan’s memory fails him because Sullivan fears Donald Trump and is afraid to cross the former president. This is striking, considering that Sullivan won’t be on the ballot for four years and he claims to be a good friend of Murkowski.

It’s almost as if Sullivan is trying to keep his position a secret.

Alaska news organizations have failed to report on the silent senator and his absence from the 2022 campaign. By saying nothing and refusing to call out Kelly Tshibaka’s lies about Murkowski, Sullivan serves as a booster of the Tshibaka campaign.

For instance, every chance Tshibaka gets she claims that Murkowski was the deciding vote for Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary. Sullivan never calls out Tshibaka for that lie or mentions that he also voted for Haaland.

He also doesn’t call out Tshibaka on the lie she tells about Murkowski opposing oil drilling on Alaska’s North Slope.

Sullivan has probably privately told Murkowski that he is afraid of what Trump might do to him if he speaks openly about Murkowski. His is not exactly a profile in courage.

Murkowski, on the other hand, is not afraid of Trump. I’ve disagreed with her on many things over the years, but she has distinguished herself by standing up to the most serious threat to the future of our nation. And for that she has been disowned by the right-wing zealots who control the Alaska Republican Party.

When Trump held his liefest in Anchorage last summer, he repeatedly insulted Murkowski and Sullivan never said a word later to correct Trump’s lies or defend his “friend.”

In an extended rant about Murkowski, Trump said, And that piece of (mouthing a word he wouldn’t say aloud) voted to impeach me.”

We got a taste of what Sullivan fears when Trump said Sullivan “should be ashamed of himself” for endorsing Murkowski. He attacked Sullivan for refusing to denounce Murkowski.

Trump also portrayed Sullivan as betraying him. He said Sullivan called him in 2020 when he was down 8 points in the polls asking for help and with Trump’s endorsement Sullivan ended up winning reelection.

If Sullivan’s tepid support of Murkowski prompted that tirade from Trump, what would a genuine show of support from Sullivan do?

As a result, Sullivan publicly mentions his support for Murkowski about as often as he praises President Joe Biden.

What Sullivan should have said to AFN was something like this:

“Lisa is an essential voice for bipartisanship and an embodiment for how the United States government should work, not just bipartisan but nonpartisan.”

“I think for the sake of Alaska Natives, it is essential that Lisa Murkowski return to the Senate to continue her great work.”

A U.S. senator did make those comments to AFN, but it wasn’t Sullivan. It was Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz.