Palin Denies Report's Finding That She Abused Her Power
(PITTSBURGH) As she boarded her campaign bus this morning, Sarah Palin denied the conclusion of a state ethics report, which found the Alaska governor abused her power when she pressured subordinates to get a state trooper fired.
Asked by a reporter if she abused her power, Palin shook her head and said, ""No."
She added, "And if you read the report, you'll see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member. You got to read the report, sir."
While the investigation by the Alaska state legislature did find that Palin was within her rights to fire public safety commissioner Walt Monegan—state trooper Michael Wooten's boss—the report found that she violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act by knowingly allowing her husband Todd to use state resources to try to get Wooten fired.
The ethics report found that Gov. Palin "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."
The report also found that Palin "knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda."
The conclusion of the panel's report endangered the Republican ticket's argument that Palin has the track record to facilitate ethics reform in Washington.
