A deputy attorney general identified by a newspaper investigation as being behind a racist Twitter account has left their job with the state, according to Attorney General Treg Taylor.
“(Matthias) Cicotte is no longer working for the Department of Law,” Taylor said in a statement Tuesday. “Alaska Statute 39.25.080 makes personnel records and investigations for partially exempt employees confidential, and therefore, we cannot provide further information on the investigation that occurred.”
[State conducts review after report links racist, antisemitic Twitter account to state lawyer]
Cicotte was the subject of a July 21, article by the U.K.-based Guardian news organization which detailed an investigation linking him to a Twitter account with a history of taking extremists positions including summary imprisonment of Black Lives Matter protesters and vigilante violence against left-wing groups. The Alaska Department of Law said at the time it took the allegations seriously and would conduct an investigation.
“Although we cannot talk about personnel matters, we do not want the values and policies of the Department of Law to be overshadowed by the conduct of one individual,” Taylor said. “We are a diverse workforce that represents an even more diverse state and its people.”
The department respects and values different points of view, backgrounds, cultures, and opinions, Taylor’s statement said, and its employees strive to do the same in the workplace.
“As public servants, we have a high standard for how we interact with one another, with opposing counsel, with the public, and with the courts, in order to garner the trust and confidence of the people we serve,” Taylor said.
• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.
