Investigator Says Palin Violated Ethics Laws
According to a report by an investigator for an Alaskan legislative panel, as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin violated ethics laws and abused her authority.
Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, allegedly committed this abuse of power and violation of the law while on a quest to have her sister's ex-husband, an Alaska state trooper, fired.
According to an article by the Los Angeles Times, the legislative panel found that the fact that Palin's request for the trooper to be fired was ignored played a part in her dismissal of Walt Monegan, her state public safety commissioner.
Palin's husband, Todd Palin, also reportedly campaigned for the trooper to be fired. Mr. Palin alleged that the trooper threatened Palin's family members, illegally shot a moose, shot his young son with a Taser and that he also should have been arrested for Alaska DUI.
The Palins reportedly went after the trooper's job after he engaged in a bitter divorce battle with Governor Palin's sister.
The legislative panel has no power to prosecute Palin, and the report is not a criminal indictment. Any action that may be taken against Palin will likely not be considered until January. The panel will await a state Personnel Board report before making any decisions.
Palin has claimed that the investigation has been used as a partisan tool since her Republican vice presidential nomination.
On October 10, a spokeswoman for Palin issued a statement saying that the report shows that the governor acted within her proper and lawful authority when ordering that Walt Monegan be reassigned. She also reiterated Palin's sentiments that the investigation was fueled by Obama supporters.
The spokeswoman said that the concerns that the Palins had about the state trooper, given his "violent and rogue behavior" were justified.
The Palin camp contends that when the Legislative Council found that the original allegation involving Monegan lacked any supporting evidence, it began grasping at straws to find fault with the governor in other ways.
Palin says that she looks forward to cooperating with the Personnel Board regarding the investigation over her firing of Monegan. The governor claims that she fired Monegan because he refused to make budget cuts that she had ordered.
Despite all of Palin's denials, the investigator for the legislative panel stands firm in the belief that the evidence supports the clear conclusion that Palin's quest to have the trooper fired violated ethics laws and that she abused her authority through her actions and inactions.
