Murkowski Hit With Ethics Complaint

An ethics complaint against U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, alleges she got special treatment in a real estate land deal.

Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Law and Policy Center, said the difference between the price paid and the true value amounted to an illegal gift to Murkowski of between $70,000 and $170,000, The Anchorage Daily News said.

Murkowski, who bought the property for $179,400 from real estate developer Bob Penny, told reporters Thursday she plans to sell the land back to Penney for the purchase price.

While (husband Verne Martell) and I intended to make this our family home and we paid a fair price for this land, no property is worth compromising the trust of the Alaska people, Murkowski said in a written statement. I cannot allow this to become a distraction from the major challenges faced in representing Alaska. So we have decided to sell this property back to Bob Penney at the same price for which it was purchased.