Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Is Palin’s 'Troopergate' a Political Smear or a Legitimate Investigation?

Is the Alaskan legislative investigation of Sarah Palin corrupt or are McCain and Palin just stonewalling a legitimate investigation? What are the primary disqualifications of those who are conducting this investigation?

Matt Volz and Gene Johnson of the Associated Press expressed great concern that Sarah Palin, with McCain’s help, was thumbing her nose at the legislative investigation now called “Troopergate.” The article asks several questions but the primary question is: Did Palin abuse her power "to settle a vendetta against her sister's ex-husband."

The article concedes that “the Legislature's investigator still plans to issue a report in October, the probe is effectively killed until January, when Sarah Palin will either be vice president or return to the governor's mansion in Juneau.”

Trooper issue turns into smear campaign, an article by Seth Church who is a friend of Sarah Palin, explains why he supports Palin and why the Legislative investigation of the firing of Walter Monegan (Troopergate) is corrupt.

According to Church:
1. The Legislative Counsel’s chairman, Sen. Hollis French of Anchorage, worked closely with Monegan without approval of the governor.
2. Sen. French has already prejudged the outcome of the investigation stating publically that the investigation could lead to Sarah Palin’s impeachment . . . and that the investigation was deliberately shortened for a “October surprise” before the Nov. 4 election.
3. The wife of the case investigator, Steve Branchflower worked with Monegan for years.
4. The case is being used as a political smear attack by Obama supporters.

Freedom of Information ACT request for information:
This week Christopher Huffman, a local Fairbanks resident “served a Freedom of Information Act request on Steve Branchflower requesting any communication between representatives of Barack Obama and himself.”

This week a law Suit was filed seeking a declaratory judgment that the investigation of Sarah Palin is Unlawful and in violation of Alaska Statutes and the Alaska Constitution.

Bob Bettisworth (former state legislator), Jim Dodson (Fairbanks businessman), Seth Church (small business owner), David Eichler (North Pole dentist), Tom Temple (attorney), and Alan Simmons (federal employee), have filed a lawsuit in the Fairbanks Superior Court seeking a declaratory judgment that the Branchflower investigation of Governor Palin and other executive branch officials is unlawful, violating both Alaska Statutes and the Alaska Constitution. . . .

Read more here

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9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's interesting to note that you haven't considered potentially more crucial questions-

    1. Why did Palin agree to cooperate fully with the bipartisan Alaskan investigation before she was chosen to run with McCain?

    2. What changed?

    3. Why has the McCain campaign assumed control of the Palin response to the investigation?

    4. Why did Palin instruct her husband and employees to disobey state-ordered subpeonas?

    5. Has Palin broken Alaskan state laws by ordering her staff to ignore subpeonas?

    6. Why has the McCain/Palin ticket invested significant resources in trying to delay the investigation until after the election?

    7. What did Palin' initial in-house investigation find (besides that she had lied about her office not contacting Monegan regarding the trooper's employment status)?

    8. Is Palin's in-house investigation still going on?

    9. Is Palin's order to the Personnel Board regarding the review of the case appropriate at this late date, even after she has agreed to cooperate with the Alaskan Legislature's investigation?

    10. Does the fact that the members of the Personnel Board "serve at the Governor's pleasure" introduce conflict-of-interest?

    11. Do Palin's reversals regarding "Troopergate" (after her selection by the McCain Campaign)give the appearance that she has something to hide?


    I eagerly await your answers, thoughts, and opinions about these questions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Palin is the governor. She had the right to fire him simply because she didn't like the job he was doing, or she didn't like his personality.

    The rumor is that this man would not fire the trooper. Well, the trooper kept his job. Maybe he shouldn't have - but you know what the trooper said, in his own words?

    "John MaCain's selection of Sarah Palin for his Vice President is wonderful for Alaska."

    Remember too that Palin says the record shows that her father' life was threatened by this man.

    Honestly, what does anyone care about this? He was in her government and she didn't want him there. She's the Governor!

    Maggie

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  4. Hey Merge - these are stupid questions - did it take you all day to come up with them? Most of them are simplistic queries that apparently baffled you, the few that deal with campaign approach have obvious answers that anyone who has spent any time studying campaigns ought to know. Are you new to politics?

    I will add that Monegan himself has said that Palin NEVER asked him to fire the trooper...NEVER. But you aren't interested in the truth, you're a frothing Obamacon who recycles senseless attacks.

    You ought to put the bong down and read a little, just a little curiosity will sober you up. And...just say no to Palin Derangement Syndrome - it makes you look stupid.

    Shane from PV

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  5. Obviously a smear which the McCain campaign is trying to avoid wasting more time on than they have to. With a hostile media gunning for the other side, what are your options? These people are despicable. Truth and Democrats cannot reside in the same place and the same time. There would be no Democrats.

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  6. From what I've read it sounds like a smear to me.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

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  7. The Dems are desperate to pin anything on Palin.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hmmm... five responses, and not a single one of you bold enough to answer any of the questions.

    I thought so. Have fun stroking each others' political beliefs, while the serious adults get to the bottom of this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Look for the grease from Alexrod to come out in this somewhere. He is master of this type of smear. They don't call him master of Astro-turfing for nothing.

    ReplyDelete

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