Troopergate Inquiry To Go On, Says Court

Report On Ethics Investigation Into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Due Friday; Husband Says V.P. Nominee Was In The Dark

(CBS/AP)  Alaska's Supreme Court has refused to shut down an ethics investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee.

The decision Thursday sets the stage for state lawmakers to release a report on their investigation Friday. The report could prove to be an embarrassment for Palin and a distraction for John McCain's presidential campaign in the final weeks of the race.

Lawmakers are investigating whether Palin abused her power to settle a family dispute. Her former public safety commissioner says he was dismissed after resisting pressure to fire a state trooper, Mike Wooten, who had gone through nasty divorce from Palin's sister.

Republican lawmakers had sued to block the report, saying it had become politicized.

Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press that the governor remained in the dark while Todd Palin repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force.

The affidavits filed with investigators late Wednesday will probably help Palin's defense that the firing was not a tit-for-tat, but they also portray her as uninvolved while her husband met repeatedly with her aides about family affairs. That could provide fodder for her political opponents.

“Todd Palin’s statements may help provide the Governor some degree of cover in the probe,” said CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs, “but the level of his involvement here will probably raise even more questions and this continues to be a political distraction to the McCain campaign.”

"I have heard criticism that I am too involved in my wife's administration," Todd Palin wrote in his affidavit. "My wife and I are very close. We are each other's best friend. I have helped her in her career the best I can, and she has helped me."

The documents, released on the same day the state Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit designed to block the probe, describe Todd Palin's extraordinary level of access to a variety of the governor's top aides.

He told them emotional stories about Wooten threatening and emotionally abusing his family. He said he talked to anyone who would listen. He gave them photos and documents, which they forwarded to others in the administration, and he questioned how Wooten kept his job.

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Todd Palin's Affadavits In "Troopergate" Investigation

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Even Gov. Palin's special assistant, Ivy Frye, said she was distraught when she was told about the situation.

"I've felt empathy for the Palin and Heath families in having to endure harassment, intimidation, threats and abuse from a former family member," Frye wrote.

But Frye said she never talked about it with the governor or mentioned the idea of asking Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to fire Wooten.

Monegan says he was fired for not dismissing Wooten, a claim that touched off the politically charged investigation just before McCain chose Palin as his running mate. Palin says she fired Monegan over a budget dispute. The documents filed late Wednesday bolster that claim and also describe an effort by Monegan to wrest control of the department away from Palin.

Todd Palin said he never pressured anyone - including his wife. In fact, he says that after talking about the matter with her repeatedly, she finally told him to "drop it."

"Anyone who knows Sarah knows she is the governor and she calls the shots," Todd Palin wrote. "I make no apologies for wanting to protect my family and wanting to publicize the injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge."

Republican lawmakers argued Wednesday before the state Supreme Court that the legislative inquiry should be shut down and the report not released. Palin is not a part of that lawsuit. The state's personnel board also is looking into the matter and Palin has said she feels that inquiry is more appropriate.

The Supreme Court said it would rule promptly but did not say when.

[skyway11]

Everyone seems to fault Palin on her experience yet, I guess being a city planner is the correct path to the white house. Maybe becoming a Senator and voting Present wins political experience. The best choice on the democratic ticket seems to be a heart beat away from the presidency if they win. Having Ayers launch your political carrer probably helps as well. Bush is a horible president who got us into this mess becouse the Democratic held House and Senate tried to do something about this for the last six years - (In case you havent figured out the last line its called sarcasim). Barney Franks overseeing and his ex-boyfriend being a vice president of Fannie May was not a conflict of interest but I guess they will investigate this to LOL. I will use the democratic playbook in closing and call 90% of the people in this forum sexist since the have a problem with Palin. I happen to be fond of people 50% caucasian 43.5% Arabic and 6.5% African American playing the race card. Lastley does anyone know how to get Acorn to sign me up, I am not dead yet but would like to be able to vote 75 times this election.

[pga39120]

You know all these people that say they are going to vote for mccain. Lets see which way they really vote behind the curtain. You will be surprised on how many people are racists just for show.

[h20pologreg]

CBS News and all of the news organizations are failing to cover the Palin story in a way reminicent to the build up to the war Iraq. Having someone like Palin a heart beat away from the Presidency is truely a danger to the United States. The following links show her to be nutso and truely make Nixon look like a girl scout. If McCain is elected and this woman becomes President as is a good possibility given McCains advanced age, this country will be truely in deep trouble. Follow these links which I believe to be quite reputable. Someone needs to investigate Palin and find out the truth.

General Feed from New York Times
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080914/ZNYT02/809140318

Article about Palin and Alaskan Independence Party
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/alaskan-independence-part_b_133261.html

Another Article about Palin and Alaskan Independence Party
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/

[inventagod2]

McCain is rumored to be readying Palin''s replacement...

[job08]

TrooperGate is another disqualifying trait for Sarah Palin and MCBush. She is a pathetic liar and she tells an endless lies to protect her political carrier. With her short lived and tarnished political life, she is telling a lie and pointing a finger to Obama and Biden. What a shameless act? She is so ill-advised and unashamed to accept an attack dog role to that outdated McShame. As they both are the same category people regarding intelligence brightness and have below average IQ, They can flock and go down together. Their days are numbered and will be rejected by the people come November 4th

[zaqxsw22]

John McCain has shown through his past actions that he has no concern for the wellbeing of middle-class Americans. When taking that into consideration, just how do you think he will handle the current financial disaster our economically battered nation is in today? For an answer to that question, one must look to the past, specifically McCain%u2019s disgraceful involvement in the Keating Five savings-and-loan scandal that decimated our economy, not to mention millions of hard working American%u2019s life savings, in the late 1980%u2019s.

Millions of hard working Americans had their life savings wiped out when one savings-and-loan after another went down because of the criminality of repugnant swindlers such as Charles Keating. Keating is a convicted felon who greedily defrauded millions out of their life savings, while at the same time he donated more money to McCain%u2019s campaign than any other contributor in the nation. And what did McCain do when he learned of Keating%u2019s arrest? He illegally tried to use his influence to keep his friend and largest campaign contributor out of jail.

McCain%u2019s involvement as the key figure in the Keating Five scandal is a window into his past, present, and future disregard for middle-class Americans. I urge all decent Americans who are sick and tired of being treated like second class citizens by the reprehensible corporate elite on Wall Street and their enablers such as John McCain, to take a look at KeatingEconomics.com

[zaqxsw22]

John McCain served on the board to the U.S. chapter of an international anti- Semitic terrorist group that supports ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. John McCain is a terrorist sympathizer who condones the murder of innocent civilians.

It%u2019s true, see for yourself at usatoday.com

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-07-mccain-iran-contra_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

[keljacks2]

Joe six pack is Sarah name not mines, I''m far from stupid. And if your supporters buy the Todd did it on his own story, tell them I got a bridge I''d like them to buy. See if you wasn''t so vindictive and vengeful God would have worked it out for you Sarah but because of your actions and stupidity your campaign is not the laughing stock of the party. I guess you could always go join your indendent buddies who don''t give a got dam about America.

[smurfcrusher]

"At least this probe has the ability to really kick McCain in the rear, and out of the race.

But Sarah will return to national politics at another time. She''''s the darling of the neo-con, warlord, fundamentalist, evangelical Christians.

As Arnold said, "She''''ll be Baaack."

Posted by LMartinK


No, she won''t. She''s worse than Quayle for the Republicans, which means she''s a walking goldmine for Democrats.

Palin is the greatest gift to Democrats since Nixon. Thanks John!! Sarahcuda!!! HAHAHAHA

[hbevis]

I can tell you all the outcome of this Troopergate thing.
It will all come out that she did not do anything wrong.
I know some will not believe that but we will just have to wait and see....(lol)

[harbinger09]

This is funny--McCain made Republicans embrace a former mistress as potential first lady, illegitimate teen pregnancy, an Airhead for a VP and now they must embrace socialism and helping out the poor with a 300+ billion dollar mortgage bailout--before its over, the Republican party will seem more liberal than the Democrats and the Republicans have to swallow it--because he is all that they have.

Paying for a public bailout,ignoring subpoenas, obstructing investigations, then supporting airhead females for VP with secessionist party spouses and championing pregger teens indeed--what were those conservative values again? Hypocrites.

[harbinger09]

The UK comments on the VP debates--scathing, ugly--it''s what some of us (the Republicans and the media) look like to Europe.

Here is the link for the article below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/oct/03/sarah.palin.debate.feminism

[babooph]

Journalism major cannot speak to the media-if she were a chemist,she could not make jello-John do something !!!

[getreeltex]

The Alaskan public safety commissioner fired by Sarah Palin was contacted three dozen times over 19 months by the governor and her staff, who were pressuring him to get Palin''s former brother-in-law, a state trooper, off the force, reports the New York Times.

[martin9p2]

GetReelTex, .... McCain picked Sarah Putin based on a 15 minute meeting? ***. I wish the FBI had done security check on her before McCain went off half cocked.

[martin9p2]

I feel sorry for the McCain campaign. I get junkmail from their "Southeast Regional Victory Office". Oh so pathetic.

[getreeltex]

15: the number of minutes McCain and Palin spent together during their only meeting prior to the interview in which McCain offered her the vice presidential slot!



It shows!



lol!

[getreeltex]

Typical Republican back-paddling. When in trouble lie lie lie lie lie lie........

[miles1967-2009]

Check out these 2 links to find out some interesting things about Palin.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/

[pattidee2]

Troopergate Investigation. Would guilty by association count in this matter since husband and wife sooooooooo close.