Legal Commentary

Palin to Give TrooperGate Deposition Friday

By Jeralyn

Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband will be deposed on Friday about TrooperGate.

The depositions are being conducted by the investigator for the Alaska Personnel Board, whom Palin previously suggested is the appropriate agency to conduct the investigation. The board consists of members of the Executive branch, who serve at Palin's pleasure.

Unlike the Legislature, the Personnel Board is an agency of the state's executive branch and its officials can be fired by Palin for cause. Only the three-member board has the authority to sanction Palin.

Palin continues to distort the findings of the Legislative Board. She told CNN today: [More...]

"And I was very thankful that that report cleared me of any illegal dealings or anything else. I replaced the commissioner because he was not doing the job that I expect of my Cabinet members." (emphasis supplied.)

The reality:

The Legislature's investigator, former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower, found that Palin violated ethics laws in attempts to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired.

Excerpts from the Legislature's Report:

• For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin Abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.” [Branchflower Report to the Alaska Legislative Council, Page 8]

• Compliance with the code of ethics is not optional....“The evidence supports the conclusion that Governor Palin, at the least, engaged in ‘official action’ by her inaction if not her active participation or assistance to her husband in attempting to get Trooper Wooten fired [and there is evidence of her active participation. [Branchflower Report to the Alaska Legislative Council, p 65-6]

• She knowingly, as that term is defined in the above cited statutes, permitted Todd Palin to use the Governor’s office and the resources of the Governor’s office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired. Her conduct violated AS 39.52.110(a) of the Ethics Act.” [Branchflower Report to the Alaska Legislative Council, p 65-6]

• “Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda.” [Branchflower Report to the Alaska Legislative Council, p 66]

Yet even today, Sarah Palin tells CNN the Legislative Board cleared her not only of illegal conduct but "anything else" as well. Sarah Palin: Truth Manipulator in Chief.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 21, 2008 (boomark / email).