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Ethics Investigation of Palin Expanded

By Jeralyn

The Alaska Legislature has concluded its TrooperGate investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin, but the investigation of the Palin-appointed Personnel Board, an investigation she requested, continues and is widening its focus to include other employees and other ethical complaints against Palin.

The [board's]investigator, Tim Petumenos, did not say who else is under scrutiny. But in two recent letters describing his inquiry, he cited the consolidation of complaints and the involvement of other officials as a reason for not going along with Palin's request to make the examination of her activities more public.

Two other ethics complaints involving Palin are known. One, by activist Andree McLeod, alleges that state hiring practices were circumvented for a Palin supporter. The case is not related to Monegan's firing. The other, by the Public Safety Employees Association, alleges that trooper Mike Wooten's personnel file was illegally breached by state officials.

Also today, the Anchorage Daily News excoriates Palin in an editorial for her inaccurate portrayal of the Legislative report in media interviews. Palin told the media she was cleared of any ethical wrongoing. The paper writes: [More...]

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.

Maybe Palin has reading comprehension issues.

Page 8, Finding Number One of the report says: "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act."

The paper continues:

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.

What Palin should have said, according to the paper:

"I'm gratified that the report confirmed what I said all along, that I had the authority to terminate Walt Monegan as public safety commissioner.

"I absolutely disagree that I violated state ethics law. In repeatedly complaining about trooper Mike Wooten, Todd and I were not pursuing a personal vendetta. We were trying to protect the integrity of the Alaska State Troopers from having an arrogant, almost-out-of-control law-breaker in their ranks. Because the action we were seeking was in the public interest, not purely our personal interest, there is no ethics law violation."

Instead, with her false exoneration claims, it's evident she has a serious ethical deficiency:

[Palin and her husband] had no sense that the power of the governor's office carries a special responsibility not to use it to settle family scores. They had no sense that legal restrictions might prevent the troopers from firing Wooten. They had no sense that persistent queries from the governor's office might be perceived as pressure to bend state personnel laws.

Gov. Palin and her husband were obsessed with Wooten the way Capt. Ahab was obsessed with the Great White Whale. No Wooten, no peace.

Memo to Gov. Palin:

Bottom line: Gov. Palin, read the report. It says you violated the ethics law.

Even more problems for Palin abound. Fired safety commissioner Walt Monegan filed a complaint yesterday seeking a due process hearing to clear his name over Palin's characterizations of the reasons she fired him. It's accompanied by 65 pages of memos and e-mails. Here's a sample:

"Because Trooper Wooten had already been investigated and disciplined for the conduct raised by Todd Palin, in the absence of new information or new allegations, re-disciplining him for the same conduct was legally impermissable. Firing him for the conduct for which he had already been disciplined by Mr. Monegan's predecessor would almost certainly guarantee that Trooper Wooten would sue the State and that he likely would prevail.

Todd Palin clearly was displeased with this response. He suggested that criminal charges be filed against Trooper Wooten for illegally using his then-wife's permit to kill a moose.

Mr. Monegan advised that, because the incident had occurred more than three years earlier, it was unlikely that a prosecutor would pursue the charge and, further, because the Governor's sister had willingly allowed Trooper Wooten to take the moose on her permit, and the Governor's parents had participated in butchering and consuming an animal they knew to have been illegally taken, Trooper Wooten might not be the only person a prosecutor would want to hold accountable.

Todd Palin reacted very negatively to that assessment and insisted that Trooper Wooten, and only Trooper Wooten should be charged."

Here's Monegan's motion.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 14, 2008 (boomark / email).