Posted on 06/25/2010 10:03:27 AM PDT by Bob J
Information in this post is gleened from two sources;
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/the-cost-of-legal-warfare-a-few-words-about-todays-defense-fund-agreement/401885808434
http://www.adn.com/2010/06/24/1339431/settlement-of-ethics-complaint.html
Yesterday, Sarah Palin's legal defense fund was judged to be in violation of State ethics laws. I have followed this controversy and to be fair, I found the objections to it to be a little thin, but most of us don't live in Alaska and are not famliar with the subtle tones of their ethics laws and issues.
I will say this, IMO most if not al of the problems with it could have been avoided early on but Palin in concert with her advisors made several bad decisions and missteps that brought it to this point.
1. Alaska State Ethics Laws
Much is made of the back bencher dems in Alaska who filed ethics complaint after ethics complaint which "hounded" Palin out of office. But we have to remember this severely flawed ethics law was one that was championed by Palin and which she signed into law.
Now it happens that sometimes flawed laws get passed and signed but when they are discovered it is possible to go back and fix it. From the beginning of these ethics charges right up until now I've never understood why a Republican Governor with a 2/3rds majority in the State Congress couldn't just go back and amend the law allow the State Attorney General the ability to handle and defend these issues (like most states) and also if the charges are thrown out or deemed without merit allow the politician in question to recover any legal costs incurred.
Seems reasonable to me, why was this never done, maybe never contemplated by Palin or the pubs in Alaska? Palin supporters make much hay about how the law is flawed, how it was used to harass and bankrupt her, just fix it, dammit!
2. Rejecting sound legal advice
Supporters repeat over and over how Palin was only following the advice of her attornesy, fair enough, that's what most do. But this isn't entirely true. Yes Palin accepted what ammounted to the final product of her advisors but early on it was "strongly advised" by her personal attorney to have the fund vetted by the Alaska Department of Law to make sure it was legal under Alaska ethics law.
"But Palin instead chose to follow the advice of another attorney who recommended against seeking input from the attorney general, and instead to simply contest the "inevitable" ethics complaint when it came, Petumenos wrote in his report."
Huh? Why?
3. The "Alaskan" Connection
Next, Palin asked that "we keep it Alaskan".
Now I'm not exactly sure what this means but I guess it means that it be controlled and staffed by Alaskans. It seems to me a competent chief executive would want to get the best possible people to handle affairs no matter where they come from. But this led to her team turning down an offer from a former White House Special Counsel to serve as trustee. Instead she chose a personal friend and community volunteer, Kristan Cole.
Huh? Why? The stated reason was that Cole was someone Alaskans would know, but what difference would that make? Probably 95% of donations would be coming from outside the state, it seems those donors would recognize and a former White House Councel over some soccer mom friend of Sarah's. The only reason I can think of is because it has been the case (although who knows in this one) that trustees of these kinds of fun receive a considerable salary to market, manage and disburse the fund. Maybe Palin wanted to "keep it in the family" like Hillary did when she made the famous White House Travel Office scandal comment "We have to get OUR people in these spots".
Whatever, that decision was involved in her losing this ethics complaint because Palin had appointed Cole to several volunteer boards and therefore "worked" for Palin and the relationship could engender a political payback down line.
Thin, I agree, but could have been avoided if she hadn't rejected good sound advice and offers.
4. The Name and Website.
This one I just don't understand. They decided to call this the "Alaska Fund Trust".
Huh? Why not call it the "Sarah Palin Legal Defense Fund" so no one would be confused as to it's purpose? Second, on the website created for the fund they described it as "Official". Well the word "official" has legal connotations. By slapping that lable on it they gave the impression it was sanctioned not only by the Governor but by the State of Alaska.
Just a dumb move. But that's what happens when you have your volunteer personal friends handling things and making decisions instead of experienced, competent professionals. And if it wasn't her frinds making those decisions then it means Palin was, which is even more disturbing.
Palin supporters want us to believe she is ready for the oval office. I've researched her history and find these kind of missteps and bad decisions throughout her career. In this case it wasn't five or ten years ago, these things happened in the last year or so.
If Palin can't handle and make good decisions in something as simple as a legal defense fund, how can we trust her to make the right decisions sittig in the oval office with her finger on the button?
Awesome :)
Get a life. Fast. (And I’m not really a Palin booster.)
Fixed it for you
Apologies to Liberty V for thiefing his pic, but it was too appropriate.........:-)
Nice vanity BJ, have you figured your way out of that paper bag yet?
Congrats on another job well done.....
:-)
LOL.
Just when you think he can't write something dumber, he goes out and does it.
Perfect. ;)
How you doing, McGinnis! And yes, you are a nutjob obsessed with Sarah Palin.
Now you see why I call them the Rubber Room Crowd.
Yeah but facts don't matter to Bob J, who probably developed carpal tunnel syndrome from typing his vanity.
Actually, the court said she was following the advice of some of her lawyers, which was understandable. They didn’t fault her in this. While the LDF was judged a violation of States ethics laws, it was on two weak technicalities-even Petumenos admitted that Governor Palin had acted in good faith throughout the process and on the advice of seven attorneys from three law firms who told her that the Trust WAS legal.
http://media.adn.com/smedia/2010/06/24/14/Palin%20report%202010-06.71097.source.prod_affiliate.7.pdf
After reading the articles yesterday, I've come to the conclusion that you simply don't like Palin at all and will use her hair color against her, if need be.
Palin has been the subject of the most intense political witchhunt that I have witnessed in 30 years of following politics. The only thing that comes close is the Clarence Thomas debacle.
Throughout all of this, the BEST that they could come up with was that the website was the "Official" and therefore MIGHT be confused with a state office.
HER HARDCORE OPPOSITION ADMITTED IN THE REPORT THAT PALIN ACTED IN GOOD FAITH THROUGHOUT AND NEVER HERSELF BROKE ANY ETHICS LAWS, AND THAT NO ETHICS LAWS WERE BROKEN!
What you are doing is taking the tiny little specks of microscopic dust and are making Mount Everest out of them.
Right now, Palin has a better ethical and personal conduct record that EVERY NATIONAL POLITICIAN OF BOTH PARTIES.
Object to her for legitimate concerns, something like her grasp of complex national economic issues. At least you would appear to be objective.
“She is only reimbursing up to the point of her resignation and has already set up a new LDF. “
Since you can’t resist trying to make her look guilty of something, try this - “She did not spend a penny of the funds in question and is re-imbursing all of that money to the donors so that NO QUESTION will remain about her motives.”
It’s called going the extra mile to insure integrity.
Gee, for a woman who is so inexperienced and doesn’t have a snowball’s chance at the presidency, you anti-Palin folks sure are doing your darnedest to destroy her. I think ur all skeeeeeeeeeerd.
Bob, you’re deteriorating. You can no longer spell or punctuate. Get help.
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