Archive for the 'Alaska' Category

Stevens: “I Am Innocent”

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin, Republicans

Well, looks like he’s going to fight the conviction, but his claim of prosecutorial misconduct seems rather weak. I mean, Ted, the prosecutors didn’t remodel your home and put all that furniture in your house for free. In any event, from Stevens website comes the following statement… “I am obviously disappointed in the verdict but [...]

October 27th, 2008 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

Is Palin Asking Stevens To Step Down?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin, Republicans

I found Palin’s response today to one of the biggest ethics scandal in her state to be pretty clear code for “Get lost old man.” Here’s what she said… “The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It [...]

October 27th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Barack, McCain, Palin, Republicans

Umm…ouch. And the reason is clear…she just isn’t ready. They go through a lot of reasons, but here’s the red meat of the piece… Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. [...]

October 26th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

AP: Palin’s Travel Money Problem

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Palin

Since Palin has run as a “reformer”, any hint of improperly allocating funds to benefit herself at the taxpayers’ expense really puts a dent in her credibility. And the AP has apparently discovered some weird shifting around of funds to cover her kid’s travel expenses. Here’s more… ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin charged the [...]

October 22nd, 2008 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

Sarah And Todd Palin Giving Depositions Friday

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin

The second TrooperGate investigation gets under way soon. Today is not a good day to be a Palin… The Alaska Personnel Board is conducting the investigation, led by an independent counsel. It will be the first deposition of the Alaska governor, but the second inquiry into the matter. The first investigation by the Alaska state [...]

October 21st, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

Anchorage Daily News: Palin Is Lying

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Palin

Her “hometown” paper fires back in one of the more strongly worded editorials I’ve seen this campaign season. Again, I don’t know how she thought she was going to get away with it, but the press is now hammering her for trying to spin her way out of these ethics findings, thus ensuring that the [...]

October 14th, 2008 | Permalink| 13 Comments »

More On Palin’s Ethics Violations In TrooperGate

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Palin, Video

TODAY has the story… They won’t let her spin her way out of this. My guess is that this is the final nail in the McCain/Palin coffin. If people didn’t trust her before, now they have a real reason not to support her.

October 13th, 2008 | Permalink| No Comments »

More Investigation To Go In TrooperGate?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, McCain, Palin

The Branchflower report and the McCain camp’s clearly dishonest spin was bad enough, but it looks like the McCain campaign opened up Palin to even more scrutiny when they didn’t even need to. From Newsweek: Some weeks ago, the McCain team devised a plan to have Palin file an ethics complaint against herself with the [...]

October 13th, 2008 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

ABC News: Palin Lying About TrooperGate Findings

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin

Again, I don’t why she thought she was going to get away with this, but maybe she’s not used to reporters asking more follow up questions. From Jake Tapper… 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 — [...]

October 12th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

TrooperGate Findings Undermine Palin’s Reform Message

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin

First, the McCain camp and Palin herself are saying that the investigation found no laws were broken or nothing unethical was done. On the first count they’re right. No laws were broken. But do you know why she didn’t break any laws? Because the employment law states she A) could either fire him for any [...]

October 12th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

McCain Campaign Calls TrooperGate Partisan. They’re Wrong.

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Barack, Ethics, Law, McCain, Palin

Not only are they wrong…they’re REALLY wrong. First, here’s McCain’s response to the report… Today’s report shows that the Governor acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan. The report also illustrates what we’ve known all along: this was a partisan led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins [...]

October 10th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

More On TrooperGate Ruling Against Sarah Palin

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin, Video

MSNBC has the report… No doubt that the Obama campaign will jump all over this. But will this come up in the next debate? Or will Obama continue to ignore Palin and simply focus on McCain? Seems like Biden might come out and start hammering here on this. So then, what will be the fallout [...]

October 10th, 2008 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

Official: Palin Abused Authority In Troopergate

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, McCain, Palin

Looks like there was enough “there” there for a 12 person legislative committee to unanimously decide to release this report and find her guilty of ethics abuse. From NY Times: ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A legislative committee investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has found she unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state’s public safety [...]

October 10th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

Palin Clears Herself In TrooperGate Case?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, McCain, Palin

Somebody should tell her it doesn’t work this way… From the AP: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – On the eve of a report on a legislative panel’s abuse-of-power investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, campaign officials released their own report clearing her of any wrongdoing. Palin, running mate to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, is the subject [...]

October 10th, 2008 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

Alaska Supreme Court Rejects Palin’s TrooperGate Appeal

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, Palin

In fact, it was unanimous… ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) – An investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s firing of her public safety commissioner can proceed, Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday, clearing the way for a Friday report to the state Legislature on the issue. The justices rejected an effort to halt the probe by the Republican [...]

October 9th, 2008 | Permalink| No Comments »

7 Palin Staffers Will Testify In TrooperGate

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Good Decisions, Law, Palin

Well how about that? First Todd Palin agrees to testify and now her team jumps on board. In any event, while I think the delay was a strategic move, I’m happy Palin and her staff are finally cooperating. From CNN: The seven, including Palin’s chief of staff, had tried to fight subpoenas issued by the [...]

October 6th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Todd Palin To Testify In TrooperGate

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Palin

Well, this is surprising… ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband is planning to speak to an investigator looking into abuse-of-power allegations against the governor, Todd Palin’s lawyer said Saturday. He previously refused to testify under subpoena in a separate probe. Attorney Thomas Van Flein said he asked the investigator, Anchorage attorney Timothy Petumenos, [...]

October 5th, 2008 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

McCain Camp Takes TrooperGate To Alaska Supreme Court?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Ethics, Law, McCain, Palin, Supreme Court

Jeezus, they’re really trying to kill this thing… ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Six Alaska lawmakers filed an emergency appeal Friday asking the state’s Supreme Court to halt an investigation into abuse-of-power allegations against Gov. Sarah Palin before the findings are released next week. The independent investigator conducting the probe plans to turn over his conclusions [...]

October 4th, 2008 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

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 [...]

October 3rd, 2008 | Permalink| 5 Comments »

New Yorker On Palin’s Foreign Policy Experience

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Alaska, Comedy, Foreign Policy, Palin, Russia

Yes, they went there. But hey, you can’t say we didn’t warn Palin. I railed against that idiotic “Russia/Alaska” assertion from day one, but the McCain camp continued to push it. And so they have to deal with copious amounts of ridicule and scorn. Not just because the point itself was dumb, but also because [...]

September 29th, 2008 | Permalink| 1 Comment »