Results of Bi-Partisan Troopergate Investigation With Link
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN)
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska's governor by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the state police, a state investigator's report concluded Friday.
"Gov. Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda," the report states.
Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan's refusal to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten from the state police force was "likely a contributing factor" to Monegan's July dismissal, but Palin had the authority as governor to fire him, the report by former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower states.
However, it states that her efforts to get Wooten fired broke a state ethics law that bars public officials from pursuing personal interest through official action.The bipartisan Legislative Council, which commissioned the investigation after Monegan was fired, unanimously adopted the 263-page public report after a marathon executive session Friday.
About 1,000 more pages of documents compiled during the inquiry will remain confidential, the council's chairman, state Sen. Kim Elton, said.
Rep. John Coghill, a Republican who criticized the handling of the investigation, said it was "well-done professionally."But he said some of the conclusions were judgment calls by Branchflower, and recommended readers should view them with a "jaundiced eye."
Monegan said he was fired after refusing pressure to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
Palin has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, describing Wooten as a "rogue trooper" who had threatened her family. Wooten denied the allegations.
At a campaign stop Thursday, Palin told reporters that she has "absolutely nothing to hide" in the investigation.The governor originally agreed to cooperate with the Legislative Council inquiry, and disclosed in August that her advisers had contacted Department of Public Safety officials nearly two dozen times regarding her ex-brother-in-law.
But when she became Sen. John McCain's running mate, her advisers began painting the investigation as a weapon of Democratic partisans.
Ahead of Friday's hearing, Palin supporters wearing clown costumes and carrying balloons denounced the investigation as a "kangaroo court" and a "three-ring circus" led by supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.The state senator managing the investigation, Sen. Hollis French, fueled those complaints with a September 2 interview in which he warned the inquiry could yield an "October Surprise" for the GOP.
But Palin's lawyers already had begun pushing for the state Personnel Board to launch its own investigation, calling it the proper legal venue for the matter.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska's governor by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the state police, a state investigator's report concluded Friday.
"Gov. Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda," the report states.
Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan's refusal to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten from the state police force was "likely a contributing factor" to Monegan's July dismissal, but Palin had the authority as governor to fire him, the report by former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower states.
However, it states that her efforts to get Wooten fired broke a state ethics law that bars public officials from pursuing personal interest through official action.The bipartisan Legislative Council, which commissioned the investigation after Monegan was fired, unanimously adopted the 263-page public report after a marathon executive session Friday.
About 1,000 more pages of documents compiled during the inquiry will remain confidential, the council's chairman, state Sen. Kim Elton, said.
Rep. John Coghill, a Republican who criticized the handling of the investigation, said it was "well-done professionally."But he said some of the conclusions were judgment calls by Branchflower, and recommended readers should view them with a "jaundiced eye."
Monegan said he was fired after refusing pressure to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
Palin has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, describing Wooten as a "rogue trooper" who had threatened her family. Wooten denied the allegations.
At a campaign stop Thursday, Palin told reporters that she has "absolutely nothing to hide" in the investigation.The governor originally agreed to cooperate with the Legislative Council inquiry, and disclosed in August that her advisers had contacted Department of Public Safety officials nearly two dozen times regarding her ex-brother-in-law.
But when she became Sen. John McCain's running mate, her advisers began painting the investigation as a weapon of Democratic partisans.
Ahead of Friday's hearing, Palin supporters wearing clown costumes and carrying balloons denounced the investigation as a "kangaroo court" and a "three-ring circus" led by supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.The state senator managing the investigation, Sen. Hollis French, fueled those complaints with a September 2 interview in which he warned the inquiry could yield an "October Surprise" for the GOP.
But Palin's lawyers already had begun pushing for the state Personnel Board to launch its own investigation, calling it the proper legal venue for the matter.
Just more dirty politics.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
So, if you think our incumbents are dirty, you know where the door is.
I thought I heard foot stomping.
No. I think it was just a loon spamming a blog, yet again.
Politician = dirty. Just the extent of "dirty" varies.
Right WRM?
:)
Then after the investigation got rolling, McCain bought her a whole team of people to cherry pick and spokespeople to crowd control.
Mark, Steve and I already wrote about the verdict, hours ago, it's even STILL posted here now: LOL
Link
Rep. Lynn LOST...and he'll lose his seat for wasting time and money on his effort to sue the Alaskan Supreme Court. He should be sanctioned for abusing power too.
But only those that have suffered from domestic abuse may truly understand the feeling behind wanting Wooten fired and the fact that he SHOULD have been fired.
He HAS admitted, at the very least, to tasering his stepson. That alone should have been enough reason for Monegan to fire him.
It should have LEGALLY ended right there.
I have learned this is true personally.
It's pretty narrow minded to think people that haven't been abused would not understand.
He lost his job teaching tasing classes, he lost his post to investigation hunting violators, he lost his post in Wasilla.
I know this for a fact, that if you fire wrongfully, you can have a suite brought against the city and it's in the millions (tax payers don't want to have to pay for someone being fired wrongfully, or before they have exhausted the rules that apply for the particular job they have).
If you were caught on your job wasting time at Party Builder or writing letters to people about their former jobs and twisted their words, do you think you should be fired, or get a warning? According to your philosophy, you should be jailed. I think you're right. :o
Unfortunately, the "trooper" IS STILL a trooper.
I hear a nut rattling.
Paranoid and out of control.
Not to mention nobody knows what the nut is talking about?
Geez!
2. Trooper Wooten did suffer reprimands, (if you knew where Wasilla was and the distance to Anchorage, you'd know he had to do additional driving and explains why he sat for 45 min waiting outside for his children to come out of school).
3. Had you read his letter of reprimand, you'd know he did suffer a demotion, his job moved, he lost pay, turned in his badge, gun, and he will lose his job if one other violation. He too is suffering harassment, disparaging remarks, and years of slander and libel, after a judge ordered it to stop. His case is a borough matter, not a legislative one.
People should read and get themselves educated before commenting.
For you California, learn respect, didn't anyone teach you not to name call, that you could have libel/slander charges brought (libel in this case). Twice here, you labeled a man you don't even know, and they don't tolerate that here, and I don't tolerate it outside of here. I'll forward this to Mr. Wooten and let him decide what to do about it. This is uncalled for, he did nothing to you and neither did I. And that goes for Patriot08 too.
Oh and the Palin family should be in violation of processing the meat of the cow that was dropped and failing to report (only well after the fact).
Maybe we should write letters to their former employers? :P
As to your statement about me; that's your opinion. Do what you want.
You need to climb off. You're as scary to me as he is.
Back off my posts unless I respond to you or I'll report you. You are singleing me out or targeting me on this blog and the only one that attacks me, so please stop. You asked me about a week ago to not respond to you and now you are breaking that request yourself.
You did not stop when I asked you to, you called me names, both you and Patriot.
Now, do you see how it feels to have your comments and posts muddied? I only responded with my opinions, why would I scar you? What's scary, what did I do? Noda.
You, both show your colors (sock puppet?), can't post links, then attack people when no one was talking to you because you didn't look at the margins, and calling it spam...eye roll. If you don't want comments, then you probably shouldn't be here BUILDING THE PARTY, but calling the politicians dirty.
Leterrip=Pirretel!!
They all are to some extent.
Check out how much Biden has received from lobbyists. That's a pleasant little sum.
:)
You mean you've never received and email where a legislator is requesting you donate for so and so in another state, or their own state because a seat is up for election? You apparently don't know how they operate.
Here's a start: Read and learn
Barack has full disclosure
Link
and
Link
McCain
Link
and
Link
Calling names? OoooKaaaay.
Scary is them jumping on every post and starting crap to prevent discussion.
Kind of like how they spam the entire blog with 5 posts at a time so no one can get a blog posted.
Reprimands are not sufficient in this case, as he also threatened the life of his father-in-law.
He's bad news. He should not be allowed to abuse HIS power as a state trooper.
Wooten tasered his stepson, threatened a family member's LIFE, and is not fit to be a trooper.
In my opinion, he is definitely an asshole.
I have been in that same situation and I have children. Thank goodness I'm not governor!
Libel is the written words, not SAYING...that's slander.
Libel is like writing letters and misquoting someone else by prefacing their letter, filling it with falsehoods, fabrications in an attempt to smear someone else, then it's only a matter of time to find them and serve them with a libel suite.
The stepson's life was not threatened, he lived. It's using poor judgment to use a training tool.
"Poor judgment????"
He's an adult for God's sakes. If it were someone else doing the tasering, they would be prosecuted!!
He STILL has his job.
Ewhen will he use "poor judgment" next? When he's pissed off and arrests someone and beats them up?
He can't even control his anger with children!
BTW, children have been tazed in schools, on buses and other places, I have spoken out against the use of them on ANY one, I'm a nurse and this could cause medical complications for anyone. I also got tazed myself by someone only trying to show me and slipped, it was on full power...could have died. So, yeah, I'm against them.
This event between a father and son was not a punishment, the child asked, he did NOT get a jolt whatsoever, so people need to get the facts straight before judging others. If we started down that path, we're all in jail without trials. We'd have to prove ourselves innocent.
You did not read the police report, so why talk about it?
No jolt, means no electrical charge, there was NO CARTRIDGEEEEE, get it? It wasn't even a tazer gun, you did NOT READ the reports, I did. And you apparently didn't watch the CNN special either, where he verbally explained it many times. Reading and listening comes in handy before judging and hanging someone.
Truly frightening,
Talk about an elephant in the room.
Leave!
Thank goodness for that.
Then by all means, DO IT!
What's being posted makes no sense and has nothing to do with my blog.
Weird.
Well, understand this, this has been brought to the attention of DNC Chair, and if people here think "Barack Obama is a dirty politician," then they can decide after an investigation what justice will be served.
Comments do make sense, especially when they are in response to other peoples comments, to what was posted.
I concur, strange to stay in a place where you are transparent and people are watching this.
Talking about what I do, where I live, and "writing letters to employers"??? You've been saying that every time I post. You think that makes sense? You think that has anything to do with ANY of the blogs?
No. That doesn't make sense.
Are you speaking some kind of code? WHAT are you talking about?
I told you to stay off my posts. I'm sorry that you're fascinated with me for some reason, but really-you need to move on. I'm not going to bother trying to decipher what the heck your repeated nonsense means.
Leave me alone.
Spell it.
But if your French, or work real estate.
Why? God only knows.
show me the lobby money
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
Obama is a fine politician and so is Biden.
So, if you think our incumbents are dirty, you know where the door is.
March.
who are you voting for? Let's see, it's Ralph Nadar, or the Green party? Green.
Talking about what I do, where I live, and "writing letters to employers"??? You've been saying that every time I post.
You think that makes sense? You think that has anything to do with ANY of the blogs? No. That doesn't make sense.
Are you speaking some kind of code? WHAT are you talking about?
I told you to stay off my posts. I'm sorry that you're fascinated with me for some reason, but really-you need to move on. I'm not going to bother trying to decipher what the heck your repeated gibberish means.
Leave me alone.
who are you voting for? Let's see, it's Ralph Nadar, or the Green party? Green.