In an 11th-hour report released yesterday afternoon, the state Personnel Board and its independent investigator, Timothy Petumenos, concludes Palin did not abuse the power of her office when she fired former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The Personnel Board’s findings say there’s no cause to show Palin violated state ethics rules nor did others in state government.
This is wildly contradictory to the findings of Steven Branchflower, who concluded in a report commissioned by the state Legislature that Palin abused her power and did little to curtail her husband, Todd, from pressuring public officials to fire Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten. Wooten is Palin’s former brother-in-law and Monegan has claimed he believes he lost his job because he wouldn’t cave in to Palin family pressure to fire Wooten.
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We were among the first to point out that, no matter what the Legislature’s Troopergate report were to find, it was unlikely to provide any real answers for Alaska and national voters. Apparently, the state Personnel Board feels much the same, saying Branchflower misinterpreted available evidence and failed to consider or obtain all the relevant information.
Monday’s release of findings from the state Personnel Board seem to support claims Branchflower’s investigation was nothing more than a politically motivated hatchet job designed to discredit Palin as a candidate for vice president.
Of course, it is also important to note the claims of Palin critics that because the governor appoints the Personnel Board she can expect a favorable investigation. That Petumenos and Branchflower could come to such radically different conclusions does little to led credibility to either.
The Monday release of the Personnel Board’s report leaves little time for voters to consider before ballots are cast today. As much as Branchflower’s Troopergate report, released Oct. 10, failed to sway Alaska voters, it was nonetheless damaging for the national McCain/Palin campaign. Those who used the questionable findings of the Branchflower probe in forming their decisions to vote for or against the McCain/Palin ticket owe it to themselves and their fellow Americans to weigh those findings against those from the Personnel Board.
If they do, we’re confident the Lower 48 will realize what Alaskans and old Will Shakespeare have known all along.
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Comments
14 comment(s)Mark wrote on Nov 8, 2008 2:20 AM:
lawhite wrote on Nov 7, 2008 2:34 AM:
johnny wrote on Nov 6, 2008 4:08 PM:
Ellie from Tennessee wrote on Nov 6, 2008 12:29 PM:
Bill Carney wrote on Nov 6, 2008 4:32 AM:
This thread addresses the issue related to whether Gov. Palin abused her office and ethics in relation to the firing of one employee and the attempt to force the firing of another. There were two inquiries, one partisan and the other bi-partisan which arrived at very different conclusions. For all intents and purposes it appears that the findings of the Alaska Personnel Board whose members were appointed by a Republican Governor based their findings upon purely partisan politics offering a lame reasoning that they had better information? .... Yeah! .... right! "
Sarah Supporter wrote on Nov 5, 2008 9:31 PM:
NJnurse wrote on Nov 5, 2008 7:33 PM:
Bill Carney wrote on Nov 5, 2008 2:05 PM:
PS: Thank God and Country McCain & Palin lost! We need healing in this country not more Republican initiated distortion of reality! "
Independent wrote on Nov 5, 2008 1:26 PM:
Patrick S - Richmond VA wrote on Nov 5, 2008 12:26 PM:
USAF SGT wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:26 AM:
Georgia Mama wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:11 AM:
Independent wrote on Nov 4, 2008 1:43 PM:
John Tuebnor wrote on Nov 4, 2008 4:49 AM: