TrooperGate Marches On
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Alaska, Ethics, Palin
Findings will be released next week, as scheduled…
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An investigator hired by Alaskan lawmakers to probe abuse-of-power allegations against Gov. Sarah Palin was free to finish his work by a deadline set for a week from Friday after a state judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block the probe.The investigation is looking into whether Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, and others pressured Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire a state trooper who was involved in a contentious divorce from Palin’s sister, and then fired Monegan when he wouldn’t dismiss the trooper. Palin says Monegan was ousted over budget disagreements.
Judge Peter Michalski on Thursday threw out the lawsuit filed by five Republican state legislators who claimed the investigation had been manipulated by Palin enemies who wanted to produce a damaging report just weeks before Election Day. Their attorney, Kevin Clarkson, said the legislative body that ordered the investigation had exceeded its authority.
But Michalski agreed with defense attorney Peter Maassen, who argued that the Legislature has broad authority to investigate the governor. The mere appearance of impropriety does not mean any individual’s right to fairness was violated, Michalski wrote in his decision.
Any predictions on what they’ll find? My guess is that it won’t be good news for Palin, especially given the latest testimony from Murlene Wilkes.
I’ll have more next Friday.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 and is filed under Alaska, Ethics, Palin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
I’ve been saying from the beginning that there is fire under this smoke. The fire, we’re finding out, is Sara Palin’s knee-jerk decision making, and obvious lack of intellectual curiosity. She’s the governor, damn it, her ex-brother-in-law is a bad guy, so let rule of propriety be damned – get rid of him and anyone that stands in the way of getting rid of him. It fits perfectly in the scope of personality we’re discovering she has.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
No need for any new predictions, as absolutely nothing has changed since this nonsense started. Nothing. As in “No Thing”. As in the absence of anything substantive or new.
As such we’ll stick to the same facts we know…
“He was a political appointee. He was not elected governor. As an unelected political appointee he took it upon himself to subvert and work actively against the budget initiatives of the elected governor of the state. If he wanted to set the budget priorities for the state, he could run for governor himself and put his case in front of the people of Alaska.”
… which means we of course have the same conclusion:
and my even earlier conclusion stands: No “There” There
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Yup, my money is on the finding that she fired someone that she had the rightful authority to fire. The report will probably also do some partisan ass-covering by using words that the left can hang some spin on, like “questionable” or “appearance of bias” etc., etc. This is common, that report has an official finding that goes one way, and a toothless but strongly worded summary that’s crafted in part as political consolation for the other side.
Then, I expect the left to continue to try to spin this as “yabbut she shunta….”
Then, after Obama wins, people will stop giving 2 shites.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Actually, MW, I think you added the whole bit about him subverting the budget initiatives of the governor since the beginning. Early on you were pretty much of the opinion that she could fire whomever she wanted to.
The GOP didn’t even start spouting the “subverting” nonsense until several months into the whole controversy. And, of course, that argument didn’t really hold water after Palin publickly commended him and also offered him a different job so she could insert her own guy, a sexual harrasser who would can her ex-brother-in-law.
Ultimately, you’re right of course, she can get rid of any at-will employee she wants and she will never be “guilty” of breaking any law.
The problem with that line of thinking is that just because she could do it legally, doesn’t mean she is ethically right to have done it.
Palin has shown herself time and time again to be a person who gets rid of people who aren’t yes men or anyone who stands in her way. She is the kind of self-serving perosn that gives public service a bad name.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I love how Republicans believe that no one in their party can do wrong. When the report comes out… and I do believe it will be a result unfavorable to Palin’s public image… When the report comes out, most Republicans will probably believe that its those “crazy liberals” distorting their beloved idiot in an attempt to “steal” the election.
The difference between republicans and democrats is the ability to question one’s own party.