Posted on 11/04/2008 7:41:58 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Sarah Palin did nothing wrong in firing Walt Monegan, the Alaskan State Personnel Board has concluded. Their independent investigator criticized the legislature’s investigator for applying the wrong law. They also said that Todd Palin did nothing wrong in pressing for action against the governor’s former brother-in-law:
A new report just released — hours before the polls open on Election Day — exonerates Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy.
The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner, and it contradicts the earlier findings by a special counsel hired by the state Legislature.
Both investigations found that Palin was within her rights to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
But the new report says the Legislature’s investigator was wrong to conclude that Palin abused her power by allowing aides and her husband, Todd, to pressure Monegan and others to dismiss her ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Mike Wooten. Palin was accused of firing Monegan after Wooten stayed on the job.
It’s probably too late to address the political damage done by the partisan hack job from the legislature, but at least it will correct the record. The Personnel Board must have concluded that mind-reading isn’t its job or the legislature’s, and that a governor can terminate a political appointee for whatever reason. This has been the truth all along, but some in Alaska — and around the country — conveniently forgot it for just enough time to smear Palin.
Monegan won’t get a hearing from the Personnel Board to “clear his reputation”. Where does Palin go to clear hers after this tempest in a teapot?
The Democrat that led the first investigation will be voted out of office. Too bad he ruined his career
New Troopergate report clears Palin
***********************EXCERPT**********************
The report, released at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Hotel Captain Cook, presents the findings and recommendations of Anchorage lawyer Timothy Petumenos, hired as independent counsel for the Personnel Board to examine several complaints against Palin.
Petumenos wrote the Legislature's special counsel, former state prosecutor Steve Branchflower, used the wrong state law as the basis for his conclusions and also misconstrued the evidence.
His findings and recommendations include:
- There is no cause to believe Palin violated the state ethics law in deciding to dismiss Monegan as public safety commissioner.
- There is no cause to believe Palin violated the state ethics law in connection with Wooten.
- There is no cause to believe any other state official violated the ethics act.
- There's no basis to conduct a hearing to "address reputational harm," as requested by Monegan.
- The state needs to address the issue of using private e-mails for government work and to examine how records are kept in the governor's office. Palin used her Yahoo e-mail account for state business until it was hacked.
That would be good!
Is anyone really surprised? Just another tactic by the left to blacken her good name before election day.
That’s a bad thing?
It’s his just reward
I’m sure he can get work in D.C.
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