By Ryan J. Reilly
Fulton first met Alaska Peacemakers Militia leader Schaeffer Cox, the man he'd later help send to prison for nearly 26 years for plotting to kill government officials, at the 2008 Alaska GOP convention. Fulton said he wasn't initially impressed.
"WeÂ’re doing one of those backroom cigars and, you know, brandy meetings. Not to say that we actually had brandy but you know what IÂ’m saying," Fulton said. "WeÂ’re sitting there talking about overthrowing the Republican Party in Alaska and hereÂ’s this guy that brings his wife in and goes 'Oh, well sheÂ’s my wife but sheÂ’s my secretary, too.' IÂ’m just like, okay dude, whatever."
It was after the meeting, when Cox addressed a Tea Party crowd at the convention, that Fulton first became concerned.
"SchafferÂ’s supposed to go down and talk to these Tea Party people and get them all fired up," Fulton said. "I hear this guy go on for about an hour and a half and IÂ’m like, Jesus Christ, this f**ker's dangerous. The Tea Party folks were just eating it up."