Alaska Lawmakers Review Palin Report
Alaska lawmakers met behind closed doors Friday to discuss a politically charged ethics report into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her state public safety commissioner.
The Republican vice presidential nominee has been accused of firing a state commissioner to settle a family dispute. But the report, to be released Friday afternoon, is also expected to touch on whether Palin's husband meddled in state affairs and whether her administration inappropriately accessed employee medical records.
Sensitive to accusations of political bias, lawmakers ordered the report be held under the utmost secrecy. Members of a legislative committee were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement before reading it, and each page contained a special watermark and a unique number to trace it if it was leaked.
The inquiry, approved by a bipartisan vote, began before Republican presidential nominee John McCain named Palin his running mate.
Since then, however, the case has been dogged by accusations of political influence, particularly after the Democrat overseeing the case, Sen. Hollis French, predicted an "October surprise" for the McCain campaign.
As lawmakers filed into a meeting room in downtown Anchorage, they were greeted by Palin supporters wearing red clown noses and carrying balloons, cheering that the circus was in town.
Despite all the controversy surrounding McCain's running mate, CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said the scandal pales in comparison with the economic crisis facing the nation. Schieffer said that regardless of the outcome of Friday's report, the economy will continue to take priority in voters' minds.
Some Republicans have questioned why the committee has insisted on finishing the investigation Friday, which they said was an arbitrary date meant to damage the McCain-Palin campaign with less than a month to go before Election Day.
Before lawmakers broke for their closed session, Republican state Rep. Peggy Wilson questioned whether the committee was rushing to a conclusion without time to read the estimated 300-page report and 1,000 pages of supporting documents.
"This is a pretty serious thing and I don't feel comfortable even talking about it until I've got it all read," Wilson said. "I don't know if anyone else, maybe they're speed readers, but I spent hours on it yesterday and I didn't have time to read it all."
But the committee chairman, Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, offered no delay.
"I could have spent four days, but I do believe that within the first two to three hours, I had a good understanding of what the investigator's findings were," he said.
The legislative panel's investigation - one of two that are ongoing - focuses on Palin's firing in July of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan. Monegan says Palin and her husband pressured him to fire Mike Wooten, a state trooper involved in a nasty divorce and custody dispute with the governor's sister. When Monegan resisted, he says, he was fired.
Palin's critics say that shows she used her office to settle family affairs.
"When you're the governor, you leave your household hat at home and you become governor," said state Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican who has frequently clashed with Palin.
The report is also expected to focus on Palin's husband, Todd, who had extraordinary access to the governor's office and her top aides. Todd Palin acknowledges calling and meeting over the course of many months with numerous senior government officials about Wooten, whom he described as a dangerous and unstable man who had threatened his family.
The McCain campaign sought to pre-empt the potentially embarrassing report this week by releasing its own analysis, attributing Monegan's firing to a legitimate dispute over budget priorities and control over the department. They contend that Monegan repeatedly tried to circumvent the governor and her top aides.
"It's not a legal matter as much as a political issue, a management issue, management of her staff," said Thomas Van Flein, an attorney hired by Palin to represent her in the matter.
Monegan had not seen the closely held report Thursday night and said he did not know what to expect.
"I just hope that the truth is figured out," Monegan said in a telephone interview Thursday. "That the governor did want me to fire him, and I chose to not. You just can't walk up to someone and say, 'I fire you.' He didn't do anything under my watch to result in termination."
In an interview with CBS News, Monegan said Todd Palin's involvement, "speaks to the level of his passion," or rather, Monegan said, Palin's "obsession" with the case.
Of Wooten, Monegan said, "He's not a bad cop."
CBS/ AP The Republican vice presidential nominee has been accused of firing a state commissioner to settle a family dispute. But the report, to be released Friday afternoon, is also expected to touch on whether Palin's husband meddled in state affairs and whether her administration inappropriately accessed employee medical records.
Sensitive to accusations of political bias, lawmakers ordered the report be held under the utmost secrecy. Members of a legislative committee were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement before reading it, and each page contained a special watermark and a unique number to trace it if it was leaked.
The inquiry, approved by a bipartisan vote, began before Republican presidential nominee John McCain named Palin his running mate.
Since then, however, the case has been dogged by accusations of political influence, particularly after the Democrat overseeing the case, Sen. Hollis French, predicted an "October surprise" for the McCain campaign.
As lawmakers filed into a meeting room in downtown Anchorage, they were greeted by Palin supporters wearing red clown noses and carrying balloons, cheering that the circus was in town.
Despite all the controversy surrounding McCain's running mate, CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said the scandal pales in comparison with the economic crisis facing the nation. Schieffer said that regardless of the outcome of Friday's report, the economy will continue to take priority in voters' minds.
Some Republicans have questioned why the committee has insisted on finishing the investigation Friday, which they said was an arbitrary date meant to damage the McCain-Palin campaign with less than a month to go before Election Day.
Before lawmakers broke for their closed session, Republican state Rep. Peggy Wilson questioned whether the committee was rushing to a conclusion without time to read the estimated 300-page report and 1,000 pages of supporting documents.
"This is a pretty serious thing and I don't feel comfortable even talking about it until I've got it all read," Wilson said. "I don't know if anyone else, maybe they're speed readers, but I spent hours on it yesterday and I didn't have time to read it all."
But the committee chairman, Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, offered no delay.
"I could have spent four days, but I do believe that within the first two to three hours, I had a good understanding of what the investigator's findings were," he said.
The legislative panel's investigation - one of two that are ongoing - focuses on Palin's firing in July of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan. Monegan says Palin and her husband pressured him to fire Mike Wooten, a state trooper involved in a nasty divorce and custody dispute with the governor's sister. When Monegan resisted, he says, he was fired.
Palin's critics say that shows she used her office to settle family affairs.
"When you're the governor, you leave your household hat at home and you become governor," said state Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican who has frequently clashed with Palin.
The report is also expected to focus on Palin's husband, Todd, who had extraordinary access to the governor's office and her top aides. Todd Palin acknowledges calling and meeting over the course of many months with numerous senior government officials about Wooten, whom he described as a dangerous and unstable man who had threatened his family.
Steve Branchflower, a retired prosecutor hired by the Legislature, also investigated whether anyone in the Palin administration pressured auditors to deny Wooten's disability claim. He had claimed he hurt his back moving a body bag, but Todd Palin later said he documented and took photos of Wooten riding a snowmobile that cast suspicion on his injury.
Todd Palin's Affadavits In "Troopergate" Investigation
The McCain campaign sought to pre-empt the potentially embarrassing report this week by releasing its own analysis, attributing Monegan's firing to a legitimate dispute over budget priorities and control over the department. They contend that Monegan repeatedly tried to circumvent the governor and her top aides.
"It's not a legal matter as much as a political issue, a management issue, management of her staff," said Thomas Van Flein, an attorney hired by Palin to represent her in the matter.
Monegan had not seen the closely held report Thursday night and said he did not know what to expect.
"I just hope that the truth is figured out," Monegan said in a telephone interview Thursday. "That the governor did want me to fire him, and I chose to not. You just can't walk up to someone and say, 'I fire you.' He didn't do anything under my watch to result in termination."
In an interview with CBS News, Monegan said Todd Palin's involvement, "speaks to the level of his passion," or rather, Monegan said, Palin's "obsession" with the case.
Of Wooten, Monegan said, "He's not a bad cop."
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Please join me in a 5 year effort. This November through November 2013 PLEASE VOTE AGAINST anyone that is currently seated in Congress, in State Legislatures, and even in local communities.
Our country is falling apart and "experience in government" only means they know how to line their pockets and do nothing except walk a fine enough line to get re-elected time after time.
THE ONLY WAY to get America back on track is to eliminate EVERY INCUMBANT SEATED TODAY.
NO EXCEPTIONS. Do not think that "YOUR" representative is different than anyone elses. THEY ALL MUST GO - EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.
That is the ONLY way that our govenrment might get away from the "what''s in it for me" attitude so prevelant today, back to "what''s in the best interest of my country."
We need to do this NOW.
Wow, stay tuned Sarah--you are in the big leagues now--and you can''''''''t hide behind moose dressing or a misunderstanding--no respect for the law, no respect for the Constitution...when this is over, you may wish YOU were Bill Ayers.
http://www.rr.com/view/content
/story.cfm?storyId=5984716&view=HOME&n
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sgroup=9000&sSect=HOM_1
What is next? What are you going to say about your maverick now? We don''t need a power hungry maverick in the White House. Or the spouse of a power hungry maverick trying to run our country. What is the GOP going to do about picking the wrong inexperience candidate for the VP position. Is the GOP or McCain ticket going to finally admit that America was not put first (Country First). That the choice for VP was politically motivated.
Come on tell the truth, Why Sarah Palin? You let her run like a maverick and incite hate in her rallies. You even have your supporters shouting racial slurs and K... Obama. That is what your VP is doing preaching hatred. Those days are long gone Sir, when Americans were killing other Americans for the color of their skin. Is that what you are promoting Mr. McCain? You want to go back in time and start killing other Americans, shame on you and Sarah for inciting all that hate in your rallies.
SHAME ON YOU
I have been up all night trying to figure out how Sarah Palin could violate the state of Alaska''s statutes as relates to ethics, while at the same time not committing a crime in firing Commissioner Monehan...it was confusing. Then it all fell into place. To understand the verdicts, you have to realize there are TWO VERDICTS.
1. She violated the law, is guilty of Abuse of Power as relates to her (and Todd''s) vendetta against her former brother-in-law (Wooten) the state trooper. It was her efforts to get Trooper Wooten fired that put her on the wrong side of the law. She therefore committed a criminal offense, and should be impeached. Is quilty of an Abuse of Power.
Where the issue gets clouded, is that everyone, including myself was focued in on the man she fired. That was/is THE SECOND VERDICT. She was found if you will not quilty on this charge, as Commisioner Monehan SERVED AT THE PLEASURE OF THE GOVERNOR...she had every right to fire him, even if her reasons were less than honorable.
When you dissect and separate the two decisions made, the report MAKES ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD, and you realize that what Sarah Palin has done is a VERY SERIOUS OFFENSE. She is guilty of Abuse of Power in attempting to have Trooper Wooten fired, is innocent of the second charge of actually firing Trooper Wooten''s superior, Commissioner Monehan.
Sherwood Martinelli
And an example of the Trooper''s "bad conduct" was driving his kids to school in a police car--turned out he''d gotten permission to do it because the chief wanted him available for duty immediately.
You got some learning to do.
There was ways to fire people in government,
there no longer is.
1) When you notice you order materials with the shipping of the materials seprate from the invoice,
then you check for reasons why warehouses will be burning down.
2) The first smoke alarm should go off when your law enforcement "needs" convicts to work on the highways. This indicates that large numbers of personnell obviously must be at fault.
3) The next indicate is when you police need to attach shipping invoices for you in the middle of the shipping process. This indicates that some buricrat doesn''t know what it means when there is defective fule being shipped.
4) The final alarm, when the Tresury Department
employees indicate to you, they ordered the fuel trucks to drive around empty, this indicates the fuel will not get there to start the construction materials warehouse on fire, because concrete and rebar do not burn well without a law enforcement officer to provide instruction.
If you find you need any further instruction, have little concern. The law enforcement officer, who fortunatly is the only person in the entire country, who can truly understand the correct meathod of delivery of evidence from the warehouse security cameras, is probily done with the construction of the addition on his house and will be available to address you directly.