Police Standards Council appointee resigns after conspiracy-filled social media posts questioned by lawmakers

No reason specified for departure of Veronica Lambertsen, whose residency within Anchorage also raised questions about her eligibility for a designated small-community seat

The Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Police Standards Council co-host a training course in February 2024. (Alaska State Troopers photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

An appointee to the Alaska Police Standards Council whose social media posts espoused a range of conspiracies on topics such as the Holocaust, 9/11 and the moon landing has resigned, a spokesperson for the governor’s office stated Friday.

Veronica Lambertsen, appointed to the council last August by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, faced pointed questions about such posts during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. The appointment is among the positions that must be confirmed by a joint session of the Legislature, and questions were raised Wednesday about her legal eligibility for the seat as well as her social media opinions.

Jeff Turner, a spokesperson for Dunleavy, stated in a text message Friday morning that Lambertsen has resigned from the council, but declined to specify a reason and if the resignation was voluntary.

Lambertsen, a lodge owner with no formal law enforcement experience, did not immediately respond to a voicemail and email from the Juneau Independent on Friday morning.

Concerns about her lack of law enforcement experience were raised during a House committee hearing earlier this month. But posts on her publicly accessible Facebook page became an issue during Wednesday’s hearing after a collection of them was shared among lawmakers and staff at the Alaska State Capitol.

The posts claimed, among other things, the Earth is flat, the moon landings were fake, "project blue beam technology" caused 9/11, Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election and aborted fetuses are being used in popular food products. Numerous posts also reference the far-right political conspiracy theory movement QAnon and its WWG1WGA ("where we go one, we go all") slogan.

Among the questions she faced Wednesday was a reference to adrenochrome, a substance QAnon adherents claim is being ingested by Satanic pedophiles who thirst for the blood of children they kidnap.

"Do you believe that children are being harvested for adrenochrome?" Sen. Matt Claman, an Anchorage Democrat who chairs the committee, asked.

"From information I have seen and documentation that was provided it’s a question that should be asked," Lambertsen replied.

The 11-member council, which oversees statewide law enforcement standards and investigates police misconduct, has four public seats. Two of those are for people from communities of 2,500 residents or less. Lambertsen is a resident of Bird Creek, an area about 20 miles south of the heart of Anchorage that nonetheless is within the city’s official municipal boundaries.

Lambertsen, in an interview with the Independent on Wednesday, said she believed the opinions expressed in social media posts weren’t relevant to her ability to serve on the police standards council. She also said she was looking into the residency requirement concerns raised during the Senate committee hearing.

"I am finding out that information to clarify if I am applying for the right position," she said. "If there is some misunderstanding on that I will remove my name from the appointment."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.