FBI questions Alaska lawmakers over Permanent Fund dividend

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The FBI has interviewed or sought to interview at least 11 Alaska state legislators this year, with some of the interviews including questions about the state’s Permanent Fund dividend. The Anchorage Daily News reports that federal investigators asked whether lawmakers received financial benefits in exchange for their votes. The focus of the investigation was not clear, and not all legislators who were interviewed divulged the questions put to them. Lawmakers say they do not believe anyone in the Legislature has committed a crime. Several lawmakers say the FBI told them during questioning they were not under investigation.