Palin Report: The Mavericky Governor "Abused Her Power"

Were Sarah "I can see Russia" Palin not already having a tough time on the campaign trail, the report released on Friday by a special prosecutor in Alaska finding that she "abused her power" might be more of a blow to the McCain-Palin campaign. But even though she has already fallen in the polls, there is room for more of a drop. And now the mavericky reformer who is part of a campaign attacking Barack Obama as old-style Chicago pol looks like a lying, vengeful pol herself.

The report was commissioned by a bipartisan group of Alaskan legislators after Palin was accused of firing her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, after Monegan did not dismiss Mike Wooten, a state trooper who had gone through an ugly divorce with Palin's sister. Though Palin--pre-veep campaign--had pledged to cooperate fully, once she became part of the Republican ticket, she reneged on that promise, as the McCain camp tried to shut down the investigation. But the Alaskan courts refused to short-circuit the investigation, and Stephen Branchflower, a former prosecutor retained by the Alaskan legislators, managed to finish his inquiry, after getting reluctant witnesses--including Todd Palin, the governor's husband--to answer written questions.

The report is blunt:

I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety.

Branchflower explained that Palin's firing of Monegan was "lawful"--because she has the authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads--but that Palin "knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired." She thus violated the state Ethics Act which says that "any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust." The violation was not the dismissal but the exertion of pressure Palin either orchestrated or permitted.

Before the report was released, the Palin camp was busy spinning, claiming it would not mean much because Branchflower had not interviewed Palin. But as Branchflower notes in the report:

Out of deference to her position, no subpoena was issued for Governor Sarah Palin. However, she was requested to cooperate with the investigation by providing a sworn statement. She has not done so. Governor Palin's sister Molly McCann was requested by me to give a deposition; she declined through her attorney.

So now this supposedly new-and-clean politician whom McCain has been selling as an antidote to business-as-usual politics in Washington has been found to have violated a law of her own state. Hard-core Palin supporters will, no doubt, accept the party-line: this was a partisan witchhunt. (Immediately, the McCain campaign dismissed the investigation as "a partisan led inquiry.") They will ignore the fact that the investigation was a thoroughly bipartisan endeavor. (At the legislative meeting today that led to the report's release, McCain-Palin volunteers dressed up as clowns and handed out kangaroos--as in kangaroo court--in a stunt that was reminiscent of the GOP protests during the Florida recount and an action that demonstrated the McCain-Palin camp has no regard for the day-to-day workings of government.) But if the McCain crew still harbors hope that Palin can appeal to indie voters as a reformer, this report will make that now difficult task even more difficult.

Comments

Do a Search on YouTube for this video:

Sarah Palin Caught Wearing Phone Earpiece?

Watch the video. Read the more info, and be shocked.

Posted by: BlackRaiser on 10/10/08 at 9:07 PM Respond

Wooten got 5 days suspension for tasering a 10 year old? Who wouldn't try to get him fired?

". . .including an admission by Wooten that he tasered his stepson, Payton, and drank beer while on duty. The department suspended Wooten for 10 days, which the union negotiated down to five."

Posted by: lifeethics on 10/11/08 at 4:42 AM Respond

Wooten was and is an Ahole no doubt but Sarah should have been more discrete about dealing with him or not lied about it on the campaign trail.

Looks like barbie isn`t as squeaky clean as she acts, she moved up the ladder quickly because the former governor was a crooked weasel, anyone could have beat him.

Lets she if Sarah`s winks and cute little gestures save her career I doubt it, if I was McCain I would dump her now before anymore Palin skeletons come out of the closet.

Posted by: Shawn on 10/11/08 at 5:59 AM Respond

Wooten may be a lousy trooper but you don't use the office of the Governor to try to increase his punishment AFTER the investigation is over and the penalties have been imposed. Sarah Palin even COST her sister money thru their meddling which left Molly worse off than she would have been if they had just kept their mouths shut.

In the judges ruling on support in the divorce, he ruled that, specifically because the Palin's had diminished his job prospects and earning potential, her sister would get LESS money than he otherwise would have awarded.

I don't think we need someone who, in a crisis, will probably make things worse rather than better in ANY higher office in this country. Sarah Palin has shown she is NOT qualified to be vice president.

Posted by: T. Hunt on 10/11/08 at 6:59 AM Respond