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Palin Makes Troopergate Assertions that Are Flatly False
October 12, 2008 6:56 PM
On Saturday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin twice spoke to reporters about the so-called "Troopergate" scandal and the investigative report on whether she had abused her power in trying to get her sister's ex-husband Mike Wooten fired as a state trooper, and for firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan one year after she, her staffers, and her husband Todd began unsuccessfully pressuring Monegan to let Wooten go.
Palin spoke on the phone with Alaska reporters about the report. The McCain-Palin campaign only allowed one question per reporter. The journalists came from the Anchorage Daily News, KTVA-Channel 11 and KTUU-Channel 2. No follow-ups were allowed.
The call can be heard HERE.
"Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing," Palin said, "any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that."
That's just not the case.
One can make the argument, as Palin and her allies have tried to do, that this investigation -- launched by a bipartisan Republican-controlled legislative body -- was somehow a partisan Democratic witch hunt, but one cannot honestly make the argument that the report concluded that Palin was "cleared of any legal wrongdoing" or "any hint of unethical activity."
The investigator did conclude that Palin's firing of Monegan was within her power, that "although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper 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. In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads."
But it finds that Palin "knowingly, as that term is defined in ... statutes, 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. Her conduct violated AS 39.52.110(a) of the Ethics Act..."
The report states: "I find that Governor Sarah Palin Abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act ... Compliance with the code of ethics is not optional...
"The evidence supports the conclusion that Governor Palin, at the least, engaged in 'official action' by her inaction if not her active participation or assistance to her husband in attempting to get Trooper Wooten fired [and there is evidence of her active participation.] She knowingly, as that term is defined in the above cited statutes, 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. Her conduct violated AS 39.52.110(a) of the Ethics Act...
"Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda."
Read the report HERE.
Palin spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt explains that when Palin says she's been cleared of any legal or ethical violations, "She was referring to the conclusion of the report that found that she acted properly and lawfully with regard to reassigning Monegan, which was the original purpose of the investigation."
But Palin is seldom that specific.
When Palin first commented on the report she parsed.
Asked "Governor, did you abuse your power?" she said, "No, and if you read the report you'll see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member. You gotta read the report, sir."
It's true that there's nothing "unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member" in principle. And the report concluded that she had the power to fire Monegan.
But the report concluded that she had abused her power, and there was indeed something "unethical" about her behavior, insofar as it violated the state Ethics Act.
But now Palin has moved on from parsing to assertions that are not true.
"Governor," asked a reporter with the Anchorage Daily News, "finding Number One on the report was that you abused your power by violating state law. Do you think you did anything wrong at all in this Troopergate case?"
"Not at all and I’ll tell you, it, I think that you’re always going to ruffle feathers as you do what you believe is in the best interest of the people whom you are serving," Palin said. "In this case I knew that I had to have the right people in the right position at the right time in this cabinet to best serve Alaskans, and Walt Monegan was not the right person at the right time to meet the goals that we had set out in our administration. So no, not having done anything wrong, and again very much appreciating being cleared of any legal wrongdoing or unethical activity at all."
Again, not true.
She was NOT cleared, certainly not of "unethical activity."
In Altoona, Pa., at the flagship Sheetz gas station, Palin was asked to elaborate about her assertion that there was nothing "unethical or unlawful that was done."
"I'm thankful that the report has shown that, that there was no illegal or unethical activity there in my choice to replace our commissioner, so, now we look forward to working with the personnel board that the entity that is charged with looking into any activity of a governor, the lieutenant governor, or an attorney general," Palin said.
That came closer to the truth. The report did in fact conclude that Palin had the power to fire Monegan.
"Governor, if I can follow up," a reporter said, "the report says that you did abuse your authority in trying to get Officer Wooten fired. How do you respond to that charge?"
"There was no abuse of authority at all in trying to get Officer Wooten fired," Palin said.
If she was stating that as her opinion, fine, but if she was stating that as the conclusion of the report, that's false.
"In fact, remember, Officer Wooten is still an Alaska state trooper, which is up to the commissioner, top brass in the department of public safety to decide who is worthy of wearing a badge and carrying a gun in the state of Alaska," Palin said. "And if they think that Trooper Wooten is worthy of that, that's their decision. I don't micromanage my commissioners and ask them to hire or fire anyone, and thankfully the truth was revealed there in that report, that showed that there was no unlawful nor unethical activity on my part."
Again, not true.
-- jpt
UPDATE: McCain-Palin spox Taylor Griffin writes: "The investigation set out to determine whether Gov. Palin had acted properly in reassigning Walt Monegan, it concluded that she absolutely did. The Legislative Council’s investigation offers an opinion based on a very tortured reading of the Ethics Act, but, as Legislative Council Chairman Kim Elton pointed out yesterday, it has no force in law.
"Unable to find wrongdoing under the original investigation, Mr. Branchflower tried to stretch the Ethics Act to fit facts that are well beyond the scope of the law. To say she is in violation because she did not stop Todd Palin from raising concerns with appropriate authorities about a rogue State Trooper who had threatened their family and abused the public trust really defies commonsense and has no basis in the law. Besides, as Todd pointed out in his interrogatory responses, she did ask him to 'drop it.'
"Also, the Council made clear that the vote to make the report public was not an endorsement of its findings. In fact, five members of the council spoke up to say they do not agree with the report’s findings. The lengths that were taken to stretch the scope of the investigation to find something damaging to say, when the facts bore out that the Governor acted appropriately, show that our concerns about the politicization of this investigation were entirely justified.
"Trooper Wooten has a history of violent and intimidating behavior and threatened the life of Sarah Palin’s father. As anyone would, the Palins raised these serious concerns to the proper authorities. As Todd Palin said in his interrogatory responses, 'I make no apologies for wanting to protect my family and wanting to publicize the injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge and abusing the workers’ compensation system.'"
October 12, 2008 in 2008: Republicans | Permalink | Share | User Comments (943)
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The interesting thing no one seems to mention is the only two people who allegedly witness the Troooper threatening their father were his wife and Palin. Palin heard this supposedly violent fight through the window, but instead of calling the cops right then, she left her sister to the supposedly homicidal actions of this man and went home. If I were worried about my sister or my father, I certainly wouldn't have simply witnessed it and walked away. Give me a break.
Posted by: kathy | Oct 13, 2008 3:25:29 PM
Monegan had also instructed the Palins to keep the issue at arms length because while he couldn't fire Wooten at the time because he was already disciplined, if Wooten did perform a subsequent firable offense, they wouldn't have to worry about the appearance that a firing would be politically motivated. He actually gave them very solid advice. Personally, I think the fact that they did take punitive action with Monegan was very poor judgment.
Monegan also happened to be a pioneer in dealing with mentally disabled criminals with methods and techniques he honed being used all across the "lower 48".
I bring this up because the argument that she was trying to protect her family just doesn't wash. It wasn't Wooten that was punished, it was someone who was reportedly very well respected and great at his job.
Posted by: Charlie S | Oct 13, 2008 3:12:59 PM
Thanks for calling a lie a lie.
Posted by: Linda Maloney | Oct 13, 2008 3:10:47 PM
Palin was found to have violated the ethics guidelines and to have abused her power as a governor according to the guidelines.
Palin's statement "...didn't do anything unethical..."
Miss, you were found to have abused your powers and violated ethics guidelines. How dumb are you? Or how dumb do you think people are?
Posted by: Naomi | Oct 13, 2008 2:52:02 PM
When I read comments from people that imply what Sarah did was justifiable because the guy she wanted fired deserved it is just as insane as Sarah's response -- I'm not guilty. She abused the trust given to her by the people of Alaska. Clearly, she violated the law regardless of the assertian that the investigation was politically motivated. There were appropriate steps she could have taken in regards to her ex-brother-in-law without using her position to manipulate and retaliate. She has proven that she is a dangerous politician, albeit a typical politician but she isn't an adept liar. She ran her office like an immature child, and she continues to lie like a child. We've also heard in the news that it is common for politicians to concur with their spouses, but how many non-elected spouses show up at the office (of their elected spouse)to act in an official capacity? Pillow talk, or over dinner conversation isn't quite the same as having Todd Palin step right inside the office acting like he had an official reason to be there - sounds more like he abused that right for reasons of jealousy - who knows, but in Sarah's melodramatic life, anything is possible. Even before the dust settles, Sarah is an embarrasment to American on every level! But she's also a real test to demonstrate the public's IQ, as well.
Posted by: Janice Romney | Oct 13, 2008 2:45:51 PM
Nancy....
I'd have to disagree with you in regards to GWB being compared to a rocket scientist but that is your choice....I myself like to use:
"He's dumber than dirt"
"As smart as a brick"
The list just goes on and on and on....
I thank God that he will soon be out of office!!
Have a great day and keep up the wonderful work with your son :-)))) He is being taught well.
Posted by: Hansi | Oct 13, 2008 2:36:53 PM
For all the non-lawyers out there, the statues are (unfortunately) often seemingly independent of each other.
Governors have the liberty to hire and fire, but all of this is under the assumption the Governor is acting under the code of ethics, which she was NOT. Its plain and simple. Why some people don't recognize this is the same reason they are dumb enough to vote for someone like PALIN in the first place.
Monaghan could not fire Wooten because he had already been disciplined... so then she cans the Commissioner for not getting her way??
She does not have the integrity for public office..end of story.
Posted by: Ian | Oct 13, 2008 2:35:18 PM
I was born in Boston, MA, of an American mother and a Mexican father. My mother’s parents are Italian and Norwegian (off the boat), we all speak at least 2 languages and although we are Catholics we have NEVER pushed our religion on anyone. I am a proud American and Mexican because I do have both passports and both citizenships. This is just the way the world is today, GLOBAL, we cannot help it, the internet and the ease of trade between countries has given us an opportunity to know other people and other cultures and at the end of the day realize we ARE really all the same and most of us want the same thing. We have more things in common than what separate us. I am no less an American than anyone in this wonderful country.
So as an American citizen, I choose not to follow hatred and bigotry, I believe the McCain/Palin ticket has managed to bring out the worst in us. I know we are better Americans than that. Even though it comes from a place of ignorance, my concern is that the campaign continues to ignite these people, and a party that is inclusive to ALL represents my values.
My question to all Christians that follow Gov. Palin, is this what is taught in church? Focus on the issues Gov. Palin, and tell us PLEASE how it is that the McCain/Palin ticket will govern, what is your vision? what is your plan? Inspire me to be the best I can be. My concern is you are leading in the wrong direction.
Posted by: Stgadt | Oct 13, 2008 2:30:40 PM
If the trooper was such a threat, then why didn't the Palin's get a restraining order against him? Why, too, did the Palin's not ask for extra security?
Anyway, if Palin had the power to fire him, why did she abuse her power at all?
Why didn't she just fire him?
Her actions, after we've seen how Cheney, ran the office of Vice President, are alarming. We can't go down this road again. Palin loves her power a bit too much.
Posted by: DC | Oct 13, 2008 2:29:46 PM
Look, she does not even know what daily news papers she reads, so how is she going to understand a 200 something page report, someone needs to explain to Ms. Palin she is guilty of abusing her powers as govoner,plain and simple. So how she can get up on stage at these rallys and say the things she has been saying about Obama makes her look more stupid that she already is, I loved the fact that the Ameican people are finally seeing what a hypocrite she is.
Posted by: Joanne,WI | Oct 13, 2008 2:27:48 PM
My son asked me, "Is she as dumb as George Bush?" and I answered, "She makes George Bush look like a rocket scientist."
Posted by: Nancy | Oct 13, 2008 2:15:24 PM
"Look, if the Palins didn't intervene the cop still would have had his job."
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, but the cop still has his job.
Posted by: Open Mike | Oct 13, 2008 2:13:24 PM
I am certainly not a McCain/Palin supporter...thanks to Sarah Palin...but facts are facts. I would want a violent officer stripped of his duties, as well.
=======================================
Look, if the Palins didn't intervene the cop still would have had his job. And the Palins intervened, not because of public safety concerns, but because of private safety (his wife and children's concern). Now, it was found by the commission that that was some justification for dismissal. But it was found that Palin overstepped her bounds. Sounds exactly like something Cheney would do to me.
Posted by: indy_voter | Oct 13, 2008 1:50:35 PM
Ava B.....
"Why is it that so many of the staunchest Palin supporters are the ones who can't spell, can't string together a coherent sentence, and can't use reason or logic? Those of lesser intelligence have to stick together, I guess. And Palin is going to lie about this just like she did about the "bridge to nowhere"
I'm so glad that others have noticed that very same thing. Ava, I think that it must be a prerequisite to be a Republican....Look at George W. Bush....I mean W....all those W '04 stickers people had on their vehicles....I guess they done whittled down to W because George and Bush were to difficult to spell. Anyone, even the Republicans should be able to spell W....
I've come across gorillas and monkeys in my practice that are smarter than most Republicans posting here.
I would like to take a moment and apologize to all gorillas and monkeys for demeaning you the way that I just did by using the words gorillas and monkeys in the same sentence with Republicans.
Posted by: Hansi | Oct 13, 2008 1:49:09 PM
Since your first paragraph contains a lie, why should we believe anything you write subsequently? Sarah Palin did not fire Monegan. He resigned after she reassigned him.
People who live in glass houses.....
Posted by: Antimedia | Oct 13, 2008 1:43:38 PM
She didn't read the report, she just looked at the pictures!
========================================
That made me laugh! Good line!
Posted by: indy_voter | Oct 13, 2008 1:36:17 PM
She didn't read the report, she just looked at the pictures!
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That made me laugh! Good line!
Posted by: indy_voter | Oct 13, 2008 1:36:16 PM
Heh, keep pushing abuse of power, folks. People are afraid of the mysterious Obama abusing power, not Palin. Ordinary folk, who will elect the next President, understand that if this trooper remains on the job, then not enough power was used or abused to get him out of it.
It's kind of ironic that this meme is being pushed. Obama is a lot scarier about power than is Palin. Ask any PUMA.
==============================
Posted by: kim | Oct 13, 2008 1:35:34 PM
Obama missed a great opportunity in the last debate: When asked what he would do to handle a new Russian threat, he should have said "I will by a new telescope and send Palin back up to Alaska to keep an eye on them."
Posted by: Andy Roberts | Oct 13, 2008 1:22:14 PM
She didn't read the report, she just looked at the pictures!
Posted by: DJ and MH | Oct 13, 2008 1:00:10 PM
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