New Troopergate report clears Palin

cnredd · #1 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 02:38 AM

Quote:

A new report just released -- hours before the polls open on Election Day -- exonerates Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy.

The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner, and it contradicts the earlier findings by a special counsel hired by the state Legislature.

Both investigations found that Palin was within her rights to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

But the new report says the Legislature's investigator was wrong to conclude that Palin abused her power by allowing aides and her husband, Todd, to pressure Monegan and others to dismiss her ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Mike Wooten. Palin was accused of firing Monegan after Wooten stayed on the job.

The Palins have argued that Wooten was a loose cannon who had tasered his stepson, drank beer in his patrol car, and threatened Palin's father, and that their complaints that he shouldn't be on the force were justified.

The Troopergate matter became sharply politicized after Palin was announced as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate in Tuesday's election.

The report, released at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Hotel Captain Cook, presents the findings and recommendations of Anchorage lawyer Timothy Petumenos, hired as independent counsel for the Personnel Board to examine several complaints against Palin.

Petumenos wrote the Legislature's special counsel, former state prosecutor Steve Branchflower, used the wrong state law as the basis for his conclusions and also misconstrued the evidence.

Sent out just in time to not matter and let the Palin haters draw their own conclusions until it's too late...

foundit66 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-04-2008, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

New Troopergate report clears Palin
Sent out just in time to not matter and let the Palin haters draw their own conclusions until it's too late...

You already noted some interesting stuff on the earlier report. That didn't go unnoticed.

From the earlier report, I got the impression that it was not a definitive conclusion, but more of a "judgment call", at best.
This report would confirm that, as another person's judgment clearly found a different conclusion. As such "innocent until proven guilty" should apply.

While I personally am annoyed at the stone-wall she and her family put up over cooperation with the investigation, if inconclusive this issue deserves the benefit of the doubt towards her favor, IMO.

With that said, there are plenty of other reasons I feel she is not a suitable candidate for the federal executive office. This issue was but one drop in the bucket.
And while there were plenty of "false drops", I think there were also too many "drops" that warrant legitimate concern.

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