Palin abused her power, legislative inquiry finds

Palin abused her power, legislative inquiry finds

ANCHORAGE -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin violated ethics laws and abused her power as governor in pressing to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, an independent legislative investigation concluded today.

In a report whose release was the subject of a high-stakes political showdown that went all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court, investigator Stephen Branchflower concluded that Palin communicated her displeasure with the trooper, Mike Wooten, and allowed her husband to apply pressure to have Wooten fired.

The report also found that Palin's unhappiness that Wooten had not been fired was "a likely contributing factor" in the firing of former Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan. Monegan testified that he had received repeated communications from Palin and her husband over Wooten.

However, the Wooten issue was "not the sole reason" Monegan was fired, the report said. Palin, who has been fighting off allegations of wrongdoing in the so-called Troopergate case since Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, has insisted Monegan was fired because he ignored her demands to cut budgets in his department.

The governor's husband, Todd Palin, has admitted he advocated forcefully to have Wooten removed because of his allegedly inappropriate actions, including driving under the influence of alcohol, shooting a moose without a permit, threatening Sarah Palin's father and giving his son a slight jab with an electric Taser gun.

The report found, however, that this intervention was an inappropriate violation of state ethics laws.

"The evidence supports the conclusion that Gov. Palin, at the least, engaged in 'official action' by her inaction, if not her active participation or assistance to her husband in attempting to get Trooper Wooten fired," the report said, adding that "there is evidence of her active participation."

The report found that Palin "knowingly, as that term is defined in the [ethics] statutes, permitted Todd Palin to use the governor's office and the resources of the governor's office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired."

This activity was in violation of the state Ethics Act, the report said, which holds that public officials have a duty of public trust that prevents them from attempting to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action.

Twelve members of the legislature's 14-member Legislative Council, the interim body that meets when the Legislature is not in session, deliberated in closed session over the findings for most of the day before voting unanimously to release the 263-page document publicly. One member voted by telephone.

Several Republican legislators had launched a legal effort to halt the inquiry, which they said had become tainted by politics after Palin's nomination to the GOP ticket.

But even the eight Republicans on the council supported the report's release, though many emphasized they were voting to make it public, not in endorsement of its findings.

"I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at it with a very jaundiced eye, and to realize there's much more in it than just the one-page findings," said Sen. Gary Stevens, a Republican.

The McCain-Palin campaign has thrown its support behind a separate inquiry being carried out by the state personnel board, not yet completed. They agreed with the contention of the Republican legislators who filed the suit that the current report was bound to be politically biased.

"The Palins make no apologies for wanting to protect their family and wanting to bring attention to the injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge and abusing the workers' compensation system," Palin's campaign said in an analysis of the inquiry distributed before the report's release.

"The governor has consistently demonstrated, in statements and through documents she has made available, that she reassigned Mr. Monegan because of legitimate policy differences and disputes over budget," the analysis said. source

 

I do think this may break very badly for the ticket. FYI, in case you didn't see it - a bit of a discussion on this going on here, too. Curious what the next few days will bring, particularly in light of McCain's gracious comments towards Obama today (also in that thread - well done, Senator).

 

Do you really need another thread for this. It belongs in the Sara Palin thread.


This does not matter. No one is changing who they are voting for this late in the Game. If the polls are correct Obama will win by a large margin.

 

She should quit. I want a landslide to not only finish the mccain campaign but finish the mixing of the religion in politics. I am also hoping to end the influence of the neocons in politics .
a big win can do both.

 

Yes this matters. Yes it will affect undecided voters. Yes a fully sourced article deserves its own thread. This was not a mere comment. Palin is running for VP and an investigation that started well before she was even put on the ticket has concluded she broke Alaska Ethics laws. I don't post articles like this for you - we all know how you think about these issues.

One would think making nearly 20 posts a day you would eventually say something worthwhile. Guess not. Your statements on this election are much like McCain's lurching back and forth from one position to another trying to find something that works. And much like his campaign you keep failing to make any point that matters.

 

Like your left post matters and are worthwhile. Enjoy the Sunshine and maybe this can boost McCain.

 

Once politicians start lying and denying any wrongdings with the only goal to get elected they are finished.
It only shows that she is week. She doesn't have the guts to tell the truth. America doesn't need VP like her.

 

Then who will be VP if they can't lie?

 

Cheney can't run again....can he?

 

Sweet Jesus, hopefully not!!

 

Is he more honest than the two running?

 

Doubt it. Cheney seems pretty shady.

 

chaney is moving to Dubai. They have his office in Haliberton ready.

 

This topic deserved a new thread. The more exposure so to expose the crooked the better!

 

You guys have to see Keith Olbermann's Rant on Sarah Palin. It is absolutely brilliant and a total riot.
I have it on my blog, but here is a straight link to MSNBC

 

What good is power if you can't abuse it a bit.

 

Playing House.

 

He does know Ayers. Obama does pall around. Ayers is not rehabilitated he said he wish he did more.

You guys are in denial.

 

You want to turn over the country to two incompetent dishonest and dumb individuals. and why? for some stupid whimsical and inconsequential lines that you draw between the points that does not even exist.
I am so glad that the christians have decided to go down with this ship. I want the neocons to do the same also.

 

After the election two incompetent dishonest and dumb men will be elected.