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Re: Palin family abuse of power
Alaska lawmakers vote to subpoena Todd Palin
Published: 9/13/08, 4:05 AM EDT
By GENE JOHNSON
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The abuse of power investigation against Sarah Palin, Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate, took a potentially ominous turn for her party on Friday when state lawmakers voted to subpoena her husband.
Republican efforts to delay the probe until after the Nov. 4 election were thwarted when GOP State Sen. Charlie Huggins, who represents Palin's hometown of Wasilla, sided with Democrats. "Let's just get the facts on the table," said Huggins, who appeared in camouflage pants to vote during a break from moose hunting.
The Senate committee acted at the request of investigator Stephen Branchflower, who is gathering evidence on whether Gov. Palin abused her power by firing Walt Monegan, the state's director of public safety. Critics charge she fired Monegan after he refused to dismiss Mike Wooten, a state trooper who had a messy divorce from the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was let go because of a budget dispute.
Thomas Van Flein, the Palins' private attorney now representing her as governor, did not immediately return calls for comment. In a broadcast interview, Palin said she welcomed the investigation.
"There's nothing to hide," she said in an interview with ABC's Charles Gibson. "Commissioner Monegan has said, 'The governor never asked me to fire him, the governor's husband never asked me to fire him,' and we never did. I never pressured him to hire or fire anybody."
Branchflower said he wants to interview the governor, but omitted her from the 13-person list of subpoena targets he presented to the lawmakers overseeing his investigation.
He said Todd Palin is "such a central figure. ... I think one should be issued for him."
Palin, cast at last week's Republican National Convention as a supportive husband, oil rig worker and championship snowmachine racer, has emerged in the days since as also a powerful figure in his wife's administration. Despite holding no government position, he attends official meetings and is copied on e-mails concerning state business.
While Todd Palin's role in the dismissal of Monegan is unknown, the request for a subpoena suggests he spurned earlier calls to testify voluntarily. Monegan voluntarily submitted to an interview earlier in the week.
Nor was it immediately clear whether Van Flein was representing Todd Palin as well as the governor in the investigation. Van Flein is working at taxpayer expense to represent the governor in her personal and official capacity.
The subpoenas, which were approved for 12 state employees in addition to Todd Palin, instantly gave a new, national significance to what until recently was a controversy confined to Alaska.
The McCain campaign released a statement from Alaska Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, blaming Democrats.
"I'm disappointed by the complete hijacking of what should be a fair and objective process," the Republican said, calling the investigation a "smear."
The investigation - dubbed "Troopergate" - began before Palin was chosen as Sen. John McCain's running mate. Since then, Palin's supporters have argued that the investigation is politically motivated, and urged lawmakers to turn the matter over to the three-member State Personnel Board, which is appointed by the governor and charged with handling ethics complaints.
In his presentation to lawmakers, Branchflower revealed evidence that the governor's office interceded to try to have Wooten's worker's compensation claim denied.
An employee at a company that handles such claims for the state, Harbor Adjustment Service, told Branchflower that the company's owner said "the governor's office wanted the claim denied."
One of the subpoenas issued Friday was for the company's owner, Murlene Wilkes. Branchflower said he had an informal conversation with Wilkes in August, and believes she was lying when she said she had never been contacted by the governor's office. Wilkes did not immediately return a telephone call.
Monegan says he received repeated e-mails and phone calls from Palin, her husband and her staff expressing dismay over Wooten's continued employment.
One member of Palin's administration was caught on tape discussing personal information about Wooten, raising questions of how he knew those details.
Branchflower also asked for a subpoena for the phone records of one Palin administration official, Frank Bailey. Bailey was recorded calling an Alaska State Trooper lieutenant and discussing confidential information about Wooten, including his job application and worker's compensation claim. In a deposition taken by Palin's attorney, he testified that he never saw Wooten's file, but instead received the information from Todd Palin.
Re: Palin family abuse of power
Yeah, the guy in question tased his own son, threatened to kill Gov. Palin's father, got drunk on the job, illegally killed wildlife, and a few other saint worthy things.
Lets have the Pope canonize him! Fuck Mother Teresa, this guy goes to the top of the list!
Keep smearing please. The new tracking polls will be coming out in a few days. Lets move it up a few percentage points.
Re: Palin family abuse of power
Since we're on the subject of baseless Palin smears, let me use a recent quote from democratic strategist(and former Clinton adviser) Dick Morris:
Every time one of these anti Palin stories appear, one more person decides to vote for McCain.
Re: Palin family abuse of power
Honestly James, that's the God's honest truth. These people that think this helps Obama are - DEAD WRONG.
They are turning Palin into a SYMPATHETIC CHARACTER. Every time one of these articles turns up, it GAINS McCain/Palin more votes.
Good job liberals! The best candidate you had in years, you are DESTROYING his campaign. Yay.... give 'em a hand folks!
Re: Palin family abuse of power
I guess...in bizarro world...
there is nothing sympathetic to me about this lady...but I guess in your world...no matter what we say it makes Palin look good and the barrage of stories you post on her about Democrats in the negative are furthuring your cause as well...
I guess we can't win...we're fucked if we do and fucked if we don't...
Re: Palin family abuse of power
So you vote on candidates based on sympathy? That's good to know.
I always wonder why the issues cant be discussed. Its just attacks. You find an article thats anti Palin, you post it up. You don't even care to take into consideration the character of those involved in this story. These facts get pointed out time and time again all over the place yet people start the cycle all over again like we all have amnesia.
This guy is a straight up douche bag. He should probably be rotting in jail. Instead he has liberals building statues in his honor.
If you have legitimate issues with Palin(as some do), spit it out. I don't get this mindset of looking for garbage about her. I don't like many of Obama's positions. Do you see me posting the stories about him possibly not being a US citizen, his ties to Rezko, his ties to that terrorist,etc.? No, because I can make my points without using smear tactics.
Re: Palin family abuse of power
I guess...in bizarro world...
there is nothing sympathetic to me about this lady...but I guess in your world...no matter what we say it makes Palin look good and the barrage of stories you post on her about Democrats in the negative are furthuring your cause as well...
I guess we can't win...we're fucked if we do and fucked if we don't...
quoting axlin
"They are turning Palin into a SYMPATHETIC CHARACTER. Every time one of these articles turns up, it GAINS McCain/Palin more votes."
Re: Palin family abuse of power
I stand by that. And this is coming from a man who supports Barack Obama.
I just don't support 99% of the people AROUND him. Oh, and someone needs to get Biden fitted for a muzzle.
As for Palin, yes mitch, they are turning her into a sympathetic character. These BLOGGER attackers, just aren't working. Those cats at MoveOn.org just don't get it. They didn't get in 2004. They are so disconnected from reality it isn't even funny, and they think the Democratic party is THEIRS. It ain't. They're not helping Obama.
Bottom line - Palin is likeable. There's nothing to attack Palin with. And sexism in the media doesn't help, that goes for Hilary too. The media smacked her around like a drunk redneck coming home to his wife and a warm beer.
The American people, Republican AND Democrat, have not liked how this woman is being treated. Hilary neither. And they just keep doing it over and over and over, and notice as it's went along, McCain's favor has went UP.
Mitch, you're not damned if you do and damned if you don't. No no no, what it is, is that Obama should be talking about ISSUES. ISSUES. McCain, you too, you don't escape my wrath. But when Obama's ads sit around talking about Bridge to Nowhere, and McCain's ads spend time on why Obama didn't choose Hilary (what the fuck?), it's just turned into a mud slinging fest.
I thought BOTH of you guys were marketing change. Same old politics to me.
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