Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says

foundit66 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-18-2008, 05:43 PM

Aides to Gov. Sarah Palin won't comply with subpoenas issued by state lawmakers investigating the firing of Alaska's former public safety commissioner because Palin "has declined to participate" in the probe, her attorney general says.

"As state employees, our clients have taken an oath to uphold the Alaska Constitution, and for that reason, they respect the Legislature's desire to carry out an investigation in support of its lawmaking powers," Attorney General Talis Colberg, a Palin appointee, told the investigation's manager in a letter released Wednesday.

"However, our clients are also loyal employees subject to the supervision of the governor."

The chairman of the bipartisan panel that commissioned the probe said Colberg is breaking an agreement his office made a week ago.

"I feel like Charlie Brown after Lucy moved the football," state Sen. Kim Elton, the Democratic chairman of the state Legislative Council, wrote back to Colberg.

Palin once pledged to cooperate with the state Legislature's investigation into the July firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. After his dismissal, Monegan accused Palin of trying to pressure him into firing her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper who had been involved in an acrimonious divorce from the governor's sister.

Palin has denied wrongdoing. Her allies argue the investigation has become a "partisan circus" since she became Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain's running mate, and they argue that any investigation should be handled by the State Personnel Board.

Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says - CNN.com
So if the "supervision of the governor" is to obstruct justice and to refuse to comply with an investigation, then by Palin that's what they'll do!

Yup!
She's got the "refuse to respect subpoena" approach down pat.
She is READY for the WHITE HOUSE!

saltwn · #2 (**permalink**) 09-18-2008, 11:13 PM

Her husband who was subpoenaed had his lawyer state the conflict in travel schedule to try and get him off the hook.
Well Mr. Happy Homemaker, I think it's time you learned to let the Big Dogs do the work on the campaign trail and carry you and your kids' butts back to the old home hearth and do your civic duty.
I hope they continue with the witnesses they have and bring her back to testify.

saltwn · #3 (**permalink**) 09-19-2008, 07:12 PM

Update on "Troopergate"

Quote:

Investigator: Palin probe to end before election
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska lawmaker directing an abuse-of-power investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin promised Friday the probe will be finished before the election, despite refusals by key witnesses to testify, including the governor's husband.

After waiting 35 minutes for Todd Palin and two state administrative employees to appear under subpoena before the state Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Hollis French condemned their refusal to testify and the attorney general's broken promise that seven other witnesses would testify who were not subpoenaed.

French said the retired prosecutor hired by the Alaska Legislature to investigate Palin, Stephen Branchflower, will conclude his investigation by Oct. 10. Still, that report will not include testimony from the Republican vice presidential nominee, her husband or most of the top aides Branchflower hoped to interview.
Sarah Palin's allies hoped the investigation would be delayed past the election to spare her any troublesome revelations

The committee subpoenaed six people to appear Friday to testify or meet for private interviews with Branchflower. French said three of those six had complied. Todd Palin, special assistant Ivy Frye and Randy Ruaro, who is the governor's deputy chief of staff, did not.

Todd Palin's attorney sent French a letter Thursday listing Palin's objections to the Legislature's investigation of his wife. Among them, the attorney said, were jurisdiction questions, separation of power issues and an inconvenient travel schedule.
Subpoenas were approved on seven other government employees, but not served because the state attorney general's office had agreed to cooperate, French said. But Attorney General Talis Colberg earlier this week reversed himself, saying the governor declined to participate and that Palin administration employees would not appear.

French said subpoenas will be issued for those seven people, ordering them to testify on Sept. 26.Investigator: Palin probe to end before election - Yahoo! News

foundit66 · #4 (**permalink**) 09-19-2008, 09:42 PM

What kills me is you have people running around here screaming to anybody who will listen "Look at Obama's associations. Look at Obama's dirty laundry."

But when it comes to Palin obstructing an actual investigation, they are silent...

No comment Bhkad???

cnredd · #5 (**permalink**) 09-20-2008, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foundit66

What kills me is you have people running around here screaming to anybody who will listen "Look at Obama's associations. Look at Obama's dirty laundry."

But when it comes to Palin obstructing an actual investigation, they are silent...

No comment Bhkad???

Far from silent...

I've already detailed how this is going down...

And just ask yourself this question...

During an investigation the prosecutor is the person who figures out who subpeona's go to...

But in THIS instance, the prosecutor is GETTING HIS LIST from the head of the Judiciary Committee itself?...

No cahoots there, huh?...

Obama Partisan Tampers with Palin Subpoena List

Quote:

A Friday hearing revealed that an Obama partisan has manipulated an independent investigator’s subpoena list for a controversial inquiry against GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

The investigation is intended to determine whether Palin abused her office by firing Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Palin says she fired him over budget issues. Her foes believe the firing was due to Monegan’s unwillingness to fire Palin’s former brother-in-law State Trooper Mike Wooten, a man who has admitted to “tasering” his stepson, illegally shooting a moose and has been accused of threatening his former father-in-law with violence and drinking in his police car.

Investigator Steven Branchflower admitted he had ceded control of his subpoena list to Sen. Hollis French (D.) during Alaska’s Joint Judiciary Committee September 12 hearing that was scheduled to approve subpoena requests. [CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO.] French is a partisan who has endorsed Palin’s Democratic presidential ticket rival Barack Obama for president and is actively supporting his candidacy.

Lawmakers approved 13 of Branchflower’s subpoena requests that day, which included one for Palin’s husband, Todd. Four other subpoenas were approved for aides Branchflower believes participated in a meeting called by Palin’s former chief of staff Mike Tibbles where Wooten’s firing was allegedly discussed.

Rep. David Guttenberg (D.) asked Branchflower why he was requesting subpoenas for only those people attending the meeting and not Tibbles himself.

Branchflower said he would “have to defer that question to Mr. French.”

I put the list together with, talking to Mr. French,” Branchflower added.

Sen. Gene Therriault (R.) told Branchflower, “I don’t understand why you would have to defer that question to Sen. French. If it’s your list you’re in complete control of the list, then why can’t you answer the question?”

Branchflower had no explanation. He only offered, “I’m not sure why his name was removed. My initial request was to have him on the list.” At that point, French interjected. “It appeared to me there wasn’t the political will to subpoena Tibbles.”

“Something’s fishy here,” Therriault replied. “I mean either Mr. Branchflower conducts his investigation without direction, and now we know he’s been directed on the date and changing what he’s doing and how he’s doing it because of the time pressure he is feeling. And now we’re hearing that people that he’s trying to get information from, there’s direction going on on that, too.”

This article also comes complete with the audio of the hearing itself (wish I could link directly to that...grrrr)....

So the head of this "non-partisan" Judiciray Committee is not only a public advocate for Obama, but is telling the prosecotor in the case who and who can't be on the list for subpeonas...

Yeah...No stackin' the deck there...

saltwn · #6 (**permalink**) 09-20-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

Far from silent...

I've already detailed how this is going down...

And just ask yourself this question...

During an investigation the prosecutor is the person who figures out who subpeona's go to...

But in THIS instance, the prosecutor is GETTING HIS LIST from the head of the Judiciary Committee itself?...

No cahoots there, huh?...

Obama Partisan Tampers with Palin Subpoena List

This article also comes complete with the audio of the hearing itself (wish I could link directly to that...grrrr)....

So the head of this "non-partisan" Judiciray Committee is not only a public advocate for Obama, but is telling the prosecotor in the case who and who can't be on the list for subpeonas...

Yeah...No stackin' the deck there...

They are going to be hard pressed to find anyone in public life who doesn't either support Obama or McCain.

foundit66 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-23-2008, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

They are going to be hard pressed to find anyone in public life who doesn't either support Obama or McCain.

This whole thing is getting ridiculous.
Judging from the Republican reaction to the variety of Bush "endeavors", the Republicans sure as hell aren't going to investigate their own.

And if the person's democrat, well that just creates an excuse for the Republicans TO COMPLETELY IGNORE the inquiry.

Seriously. Partisanship aside.
HOW is calling these people invalid???

The Republicans are pushing this to the extent that they refuse to investigate their own, and refuse to have anybody investigate them cause they cry it's "partisan"...

Clinton got impeached, and I was GLAD because it showed that the president was accountable to the people. If a president lied, he would be held accountable.
But Republicans?
If Bush and Palin are any indication, modern Republicanism refuses to hold themselves up for scrutiny, insisting that they do business in secret.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to foundit66 For This Useful Post:
crazyflamingos, dga, DownSouth

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to foundit66 For This Useful Post:
crazyflamingos, DownSouth, saltwn

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to foundit66 For This Useful Post:
crazyflamingos, dga, saltwn, Spencer Collins