Posted on 10/12/2008 10:27:21 AM PDT by connell
"Troopergate" Report: "A Proper and Lawful Exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority"
by Mark Rhoads
If you are surprised that a committee of partisan Democrats and anti-Palin Republicans from the good-old Alaska legislature would release a report critical of Gov. Palin, then you must have been astonished that the sun came up this morning. If this is the worst that they have on Palin, it is not going to sway many voters one way or another.
There are four findings. Two are inconsequential and one of those deals with a workman's compensation case for Trooper Wooten, Gov. Palin's ex-brother-in-law. The two findings of consequence contradict each other to some extent.
The first says that Palin abused her public trust, a matter of opinion. It also says she violated a law that does not really apply to the situation but the attorney for the committee is making a clumsy attempt to plow new ground. The legislature cannot prosecute anyone so let some prosecutor try and see how far they get in a real court with real rules of evidence. Finding number two you will never hear about in the MSM so here it is verbatim:
"I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads."
Here are both relevant findings of the four:
Finding One
For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39/52/110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides
The legislature reaffirms that every public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.
Finding Two
I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooter was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads.
To sum it up, Gov. Palin always had the right to fire a subordinate appointee for any reason at all including their budget disagreement. But the lawyer for the committee argues that she was seeking a personal benefit (or financial interest) pursuant to Alaska Statue 39/52/110(a) which has never been interpreted in this way before. In short, her desire for her family to be protected from threats made by Wooten against her father and her desire not to see her ten-year old nephew experimented on with a Taser by Wooten a second time somehow translates into a "personal benefit" for the Governor.
This "report" is a partisan joke. There is not a person reading this from Illinois who does not vividly understand that if any Chicago police officer ever threatened to harm to any member of Mayor Daley's family, let alone used a Taser on a ten-year old boy, that officer likely would have disappeared from Chicago faster than you can say "Bill Ayers is just a guy in my neighborhood."
Of course it’s “bipartisan”. There were DemocRATS who hate Palin on the panel and there were corrupt Republicans who hate Palin on the panel.
This should be the standard talking point line of everyone from the GOP about this affair.
Cheers!
This episode should be called "Tasergate" or "Fat-drunken-Alaska-State-Trooper-who-poaches-moose-from-his-patrol-car-and-tasers-10-year-old-boys-gate".
How did all those Republicans on the panel vote to adopt the findings. Disgusting.
How did all those Republicans on the panel vote to adopt the findings. Disgusting.... Because she busted up their network and refused their pork. Simple.
My head is spinning with all the “oh this two-year old investigation is a hit job” thing.
Seems pretty obvious that Sarah used her power as Gov. to take revenge. I did not like her when she was picked and I like her even less now. Not only is she too inexpeienced to be President, there are serious questions about the manner in which she uses power. McCain made a bad choice. Mitt was the guy who we want adivising Pres. McCain during the economic crisis and not “Russia invades Alaksan air space Palin”.
They didn’t ‘VOTE TO ADOPT THE FINDINGS’. They ONLY voted to RELEASE THE REPORT.
BIG DIFFERENCE.
IT IS A HIT JOB
Seems pretty obvious that Sarah used her power as Gov. to take revenge.
She fired her Commissioner.
She had a right to do so.
The Commissioner VIOLATED HER TRUST when he dropped off a color photograph poster of Trooper Wooten on May 15, 2008 for her to sign and present at the Police Memorial Day. See page 39 to 42 of the report.
The Commissioners response when called by the Governors office and asked why he did it was to 'plead ignorance'. He claimed that he did not know what Wooten looked like. He claimed that he did not know who was in the photo.
Now if Gov. Palin had really been pressing him to fire this guy, he would have known what he looked like.
He clearly knew the Palin's thought that Wooten was a bad trooper and bad PR for the troopers.
He clearly knew that the trooper had a drinking and driving problem.
He clearly knew that the trooper had illegally killed a moose and been disciplined for that act.
He clearly knew the other discipline problems this trooper had.
So why would he ask for the Governor to present this Trooper as an example of what all troopers should aspire to?
Clearly he could not be that ignorant.
Clearly he was deliberately antagonizing the Governor.
HE DESERVED TO BE FIRED.
By the way. This act is relevant to the dispute.
Governor Palin Signs Sonya Ivanoff Act
April 27, 2007, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today signed Senate Bill 45, the Sonya Ivanoff Act. SB 45, sponsored by Senator Donny Olson, mandates the maximum sentence for first-degree murder when committed by an on-duty peace officer.
Sonya Ivanoff, 19, was murdered in 2003, by a Nome Police officer. Matthew Owens was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. His case is currently on appeal.
Governor Palin was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Sonya’s parents and siblings, Senator Donny Olson and Richard Svobodny, the lead prosecutor in the case.
“The inappropriate actions of Matthew Owens cloud the focus and the image of our brave men and women whom have all sworn to protect and serve,” said Governor Palin. “We must work with all our communities in a trusting partnership to ensure that every citizen feels safe, and is treated fairly and with respect.”
Today, Governor Palin also acknowledged the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 5, which recognizes this week as the 2007 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. HCR 5 was sponsored by Representative Bill Stoltze.
“National Crime Victims’ Rights Week recognizes the rights of crime victims and survivors, and their need for services,” said Governor Palin. “It also recognizes the ongoing efforts of countless providers of victims’ and survivors’ services.”
Nothing could be less obvious! You fail to understand that when someone lives by a set of moral principles, that those principles will always come up against what is wrong in the world. Governor Palin had a Trooper who was not only a disgrace to the uniform and a danger to others, but she also saw someone in her administration who not only was insubordinate in regards to other matters, but deliberately bucked her authority in this one. She did not even actually fire him. She removed him from one position and demoted him to another, and instead of taking the demotion, he quit like the weasel coward he is.
Instead of understanding that she had as her agenda to clean up the mess in her own backyard, you would rather that McCain pick someone who looks good and sounds good, but is willing to flirt with Socialism if he thinks it will be seen as arriving at a "bi-partisan" solution. There are enough Socialists running on the Democrat ticket. We don't need someone on ours who won't stand firm against it.
I like an elected official who have both party hacks angry.
My goodness, she might be working for us!!!
Too bad Palin can’t fire all of Congress. She’d do a better job than most American voters who reelect the scheming, corrupt bloodsuckers over and over again.
You’re right. My mistake. I thought I read that someplace.
No problem. You probably did read it someplace. The libs were spinning that big time that this was a ‘bipartisan’ decision.
Look at the authorizing vote of the committee. It gave the authority to the one democrat to select the investigator.
Small wonder he picked one with a record of being in with Monegan!
Check out page 164.
They interview Bob Cockerell - her ‘chief of security’.
He explains the reduction in security. Instead of a dedicated force, she was meant to be able to pick up troopers to provide security for her events.
Well, guess what...
Bob was not allowed to talk directly to the person he needed. He was ordered to go through the chain of command.
He requested a trooper to help on an event, and the head of the Alaska State Troopers (Holloway) denied his request. Told him it was too much overtime (3 hours). (Direct report to Monegan).
He upped it to Palin’s Chief of Staff.
He called Monegan in and removed him/reassigned him. Monegan quit instead.
Monegan was mad at Palin because the troopers were given a 5.0% pay raise instead of a 5.5% pay raise. He believed that it must have been because of the “WOOTEN” issue.
So to get revenge, he arranged to
1) Drop of Wootens picture on a poster for her to sign.
2) Started refusing security detail coverage.
No wonder her husband Todd Palin was down at the office all the time. He was her security.
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