JUNEAU -- Gov. Bill Walker has withdrawn one of his appointees from consideration for the board that oversees judicial ethics after discovering "disrespectful images" in which he appears on social media, a spokeswoman for the governor said Tuesday.
Walker withdrew Jeff Landfield, 30, an Anchorage resident and one-time candidate for state Senate, from consideration for a position on the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct, which handles complaints against state judges.
Walker's spokeswoman, Grace Jang, declined to elaborate on the content of the images that led to Landfield's removal from his appointment to the unpaid position, which would have required legislative confirmation.
But several images circulated throughout the Capitol building Tuesday that showed Landfield, clad only in a thin Speedo bathing suit with women in Las Vegas. Another showed his hands on a woman's breasts.
Some of the pictures were accessible to Landfield's Facebook friends, and he said the images are "not something I hide."
"I think everybody knows that about me," he said. "I'm kind of an open book."
Landfield co-hosted a fundraiser for Walker during his gubernatorial campaign, but Jang said the appointment was not political. She said Landfield was chosen after a recommendation from Craig Fleener, Walker's adviser on Arctic issues.
"He's young, and we wanted to get more young Alaskans involved in the process," Jang said. "Craig Fleener thought that Jeff Landfield had the right combination of passion, political experience gained from running for state office. And he is young."
Landfield said he held no ill will over it and added that he would still be "happy to get involved where I could help, or where I could be useful."
Amy Demboski, an Anchorage Assembly member who serves on the nine-member judicial conduct commission, said service on the panel requires "sound judgment," but she said she wasn't sure whether Landfield would have made a good candidate or not.
"I am Facebook friends with him and I've seen him post some colorful posts," she said in a phone interview Tuesday. "It just surprised me to even hear that he was appointed."