Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was found to have abused the power of her office by an Alaskan state investigator in the Troopergate scandal that came to light after she was named Senator John McCain’s running mate.
more after the jump:
From the story:
“Gov. Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda,” the report states.
Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan’s refusal to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten from the state police force was “likely a contributing factor” to Monegan’s July dismissal, but Palin had the authority as governor to fire him, the report by former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower states.
However, it states that her efforts to get Wooten fired broke a state ethics law that bars public officials from pursuing personal interest through official action.
Palin said the Monegan dismissal was due to budget issues. The state investigator disagreed. Palin was uncooperative with Alaska invesitgators.Â
The McCain campaign called the investigation “a partisan-led inquiry” run by supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, but hailing its finding that Monegan’s firing broke no law.
Alaska Legislative Council’s chairman, Democrat State Sen. Kim Elton:
“I believe that these findings may help people come to a conclusion on how they should vote in the presidential election.”
That sounds bi-partisan and unbiased to me – NOT !!
The panel of lawmakers voted to release it – though not without dissension. The panel DID NOT vote on whether to endorse its findings.
“I think there are some problems in this report,” said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. “I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye.”
You are incorrect Dan – this was not a “ruling” – it was a “finding” by a single investigator which was accepted by the “bipartisan” panel – likely on a party line vote.
I think those shoes belong to Commie Girl!
Once again, we’re left to question McCain’s judgment in selecting a Vice Presidential nominee without even the most cursory investigation into her ethics and record.
He was so desparate to control the news cycle after the Democratic convention that he just went with something that was mavericky, unexpected, and fodder for the mindless twits on cable news.
And what he got was another series of real scandals to detract from the phony scandals he’s trying to create.
McCain would run the country the same way he runs his campaign, with a bus full of lobbyists careening from one stunt to another. That’s scary.
Why did she try to block the investigation, again?
Junior. Correct me if I’m wrong. Doesn’t the Alaska have a GOP majority.
RHackett – I believe that you are correct.
However, my point stands. The report was submitted by a single investigator. The bipartisan Alaska Legislative Committee did not rule on the investigator’s findings. They merely accepted the report.
No “ruling” Dan C.
Branchflower said, ““I believe that these findings may help people come to a conclusion on how they should vote in the presidential election.â€
Branchflower’s bias is obvious. The outcome of his report was predetermined to benefit the Obama campaign.
Junior. Are you saying the GOP majority just rubber stamped the
report without reading it? Says a lot about how they perceive their
responsibilities.
Don’t forget she also has a lot of enemies in the Alaska GOP.
Not that it wasn’t a fair investigation, as far as I know it was.
Junior, your talking point is supposed to be that they determined that she broke no law firing Monegan.
RHackett – I am saying that they just received it with no comment, no ruling, no determination, no ajudication, no nothing – they just received it.
Dan C. – NO “RULING” !
Vern – “Not that it wasn’t a fair investigation, as far as I know it was.”
Branchflower said, ““I believe that these findings may help people come to a conclusion on how they should vote in the presidential election.â€
His bias is obvious. The outcome of his report was predetermined to benefit the Obama campaign.
That is my “talking point” Vern. The investigator’s painfully obvious bias toward Obama.
It is shocking to me that Palin can deny that she did anything wrong. Her exact words from today’s interview: “Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.” What is she smoking?
http://www.ocforobama.blogspot.com
McCain-Palin: The Dual Ethic Violation Ticket 2008
“Keating 5 – Troopergate”
Reformers?
Steve Kim,
Keating 5 – Yep, probably an error by McCain, he admits to it and is sorry for it. This took place over 20 years ago – McCain has been elected to the Senate 3 times since. Nobody cares.
Troopergate – “unethical” is one investigator’s biased opinion. Nobody cares.
Steve kim
Typical ruthless politician
Throws “friends” and grandmother under the bus when things heat up
Lies about his associations (Ayers/Wright/Acorn/ Resko/ to name a few)
Uses people to advance political career
Takes tax payer money to funnel to his friends
A no nothing~do nothing political hack
change?
Right, no one cares.
Why is Palin’s own hand-picked Personnel Board still investigating the “thing” about which no one cares?
Newsweek:
Some weeks ago, the McCain team devised a plan to have Palin file an ethics complaint against herself with the State Personnel Board, arguing that it alone was capable of conducting a fair, nonpartisan inquiry into whether she fired Monegan because he refused to fire Wooten, who had been involved in a messy custody battle with her sister. Some Democrats ridiculed the move, noting that the personnel board answered to Palin. But the board ended up hiring an aggressive Anchorage trial lawyer, Timothy Petumenos, as an independent counsel.
And based on junior’s Looking Glass Logic,” if the panel had found in Palin’s favor, they would be saying that the presence of Dems on the panel was extra evidence that the finding was reasonable.
Homewrecker,
Please pay close attention, I am only going to repeat this one last time.
The panel found in neither sides “favor.” They did not make a ruling.
They merely accepted the single investigator’s BIASED report.
Okay ?? Got that ??
NO RULING !! – NO DECISION !! – NO “FAVOR” !!
MERELY “ACCEPTED” !!!!!!!!!
Sometimes you dems are really dense. Or, perhaps you choose to feign stupidity.
Steve Kim, on October 14th, 2008 at 10:05 am Said:
“Why is Palin’s own hand-picked Personnel Board still investigating the “thing†about which no one cares?”
Number one, because Palin filed the complaint against herself to clear the air.
Number two, because she beat Monegan to the punch – good move.
About your “hand picked” argument – Don’t you think that Gov. Palin knew that an “aggressive” (read biased) independent counsel would be assigned to the investigate the complaint? Of course she knew this, she is a smart cookie.
Believe me, Troopergate is a loser, I recommend you dems drop it. Or, perhaps you should keep grinding on – it makes you look bad. The identified trooper is a loser – there is no sympathy for this pathetic excuse of a law officer. Nobody cares.
from Editor and Publisher:
NEW YORK Since its release late last Friday, the Alaska legislatures “Troopergate” has drawn much attention, and Gov. Sarah Palin has claimed numerous times that it actually found no ethical misdeeds on her part — even as it charged her with a serious “abuse of power.” The main paper in her home state is not buying it.
The Anchorage Daily News’ angry editorial today was topped with the headline: “Palin vindicated? Governor offers Orwellian spin.” It opens: “Sarah Palin’s reaction to the Legislature’s Troopergate report is an embarrassment to Alaskans and the nation.
“She claims the report ‘vindicates’ her. She said that the investigation found ‘no unlawful or unethical activity on my part.’
“Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian.”
An excerpt follows.
*
In plain English, she did something “unlawful.” She broke the state ethics law.
Perhaps Gov. Palin has been too busy to actually read the Troopergate report. Perhaps she is relying on briefings from McCain campaign spinmeisters.
That’s the charitable interpretation.
Because if she had actually read it, she couldn’t claim “vindication” with a straight face.
Palin asserted that the report found “there was no abuse of authority at all in trying to get Officer Wooten fired.”
In fact, the report concluded that “impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired.”
Palin’s response is the kind of political “big lie” that George Orwell warned against. War is peace. Black is white. Up is down.
Gov. Palin and her camp trumpeted the report’s second finding: that she was within her legal authority to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. But the report also said it’s likely one of the reasons she fired him was his failure to get rid of her ex-brother-in-law trooper.
That’s not “vindication,” and surely Gov. Palin knows it.
:”In plain English, she did something “unlawful.†She broke the state ethics law.” – “it charged her with a serious “abuse of power.â€
One more time – this is an accusation by a single biased investigator, Branchflower. No ruling, no decision.
“.. it actually found no ethical misdeeds on her part ..” I guess that depends on what the meaning of “it” is here Dan. I am sure that you detect the irony in that statement.
If “it” means the Legislative Council, she is correct. The Legislative Council made no ruling or decision on the report.
The Council – “it” – didn’t “find” anything.
Note to junior — look for the * * * below
Sarah Palin violated an Alaska ethics law as governor by trying to fire a state trooper divorced from her sister, state lawmakers **ruled** today. Palin also fired a state commissioner partly because he refused to can the trooper, but the legislative panel called that firing “a proper and lawful exercise” of her power, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The attorney general’s office also failed to supply emails on the case, the legislators said.
State lawmakers huddled for 6 hours today before voting unanimously to issue their report, although they kept some parts confidential. Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan claims he was let go for refusing to fire a trooper embroiled in a divorce with Palin’s sister; Palin says she fired Monegan over a budget disagreement. Her supporters say the state’s probe is motivated by politics, MSNBC reports.
Sources Anchorage Daily News, MSNBC
Do you believe everything you read Dan? That would be very naive of you.
I saw that incredibly slanted and biased report by ADN.
The ADN is intentionally twisting the meaning of the release and acceptance of Branchflower’s extremely biased report.
Where in the release or acceptance of the actual report do you see the words **ruling** or **decision**? Those words are not in the recorded minutes of the release of the report or the report itself.
Do the work yourself Dan – I did. Don’t believe everything you read, especially biased newspaper liars – excuse me, “reporters.”
Dan,
I believe that I have demonstrated to you that there is no basis for your claim that there was a “Ruling” by the Alaska Legislative Council or any other authoritative Alaska government body concerning “Troopergate.”
Therefore, in the interest of accuracy, I suggest that you remove the word “Ruling” from the headline of this post.
Sincerely,
junior
It’s accurate and it stays. You’ve bought into the McCain camp spin machine. She violated state ethics law and it was the state legislature that unaminmously ruled on releasing the report.
“ruled on releasing the report”
Nice spin Dan !
Dan – You are one funny dude.
I just had to LMAO before I responded more thoroughly to your “ruled on releasing the report†comedic almost punch line.
Dictionary.com definition of “a ruling” – noun:
1. an authoritative decision, as one by a judge on a debated point of law.
Your description of “releasing the report” as “a ruling” is stretching this definition beyond credulity.
Releasing a report does not equate to “debating a point of law.”
You have lost credibility Dan.
Ha – ha – ha !! LMAO – whoops there it goes !
Junior — take a reading comprehension class. If I cut and paste words from other reports that say “ruling” you dispute it as bias. She violated ethics rule, refused to cooperate in the investigation, and the body investigating was bi-partisan and voted uniamously. I also know a lot more jouranlists than you do and your charge that they are liars is bull. No Junior, it’s you who have lost credibility. But frankly, I think you did a long time ago.
Junior,
Maybe this from the report, listed under “Findings” in the report will help you understand the facts.
Junior,
Ruling or finding, Palin abused her authority.
Chris said: “Ruling or finding, Palin abused her authority.”
“Ruling or finding,”
I think that we are making some headway here.
“Palin abused her authority.”
Bottom line – that is one biased investigators finding.
she is an idiot, we are getting rid of one religious nut, we do not need another that endorses him
Hey Dan – “Ruling” clears Palin.
Palin cleared by Troopergate investigation.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/03/palin-troopergate.html
Love,
junior
Not so fast. She was cleared by a committee she formed so it has a clear bias. Not that it matters anymore as palin has been exposed as an intellectual lightweight and a political clownshoe.