The Troopergate report was released today:
Sarah Palin violated the trust Alaskans placed in her as their governor when she fired a state official who had refused to dismiss her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper, according a legislative report released Friday night.
The long-awaited report into a scandal that’s become known as “Troopergate” found that Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, fired the state’s public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, partly because he refused to fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, who was locked in a bitter custody battle with Palin’s sister, Molly McCann.
From the 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. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides:"The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."
This report is the end result of a process begun by "a unanimous bi-partisan vote of the Alaska Legislative Council taken on July 28, 2008". Nineteen people were interviewed, ten "individuals were properly served [either personally serviced by a process server or whose attorney accepted on their behalf], and the person failed to appear". Number nine on that list is "Todd Palin — The First Gentleman". "Out of deference to her position, no subpoena was issued for Governor Sarah Palin".
Needless to say, neither Todd Palin nor Sarah Palin provided information to the investigator.
Until Todd Palin complies with the legally issued subpoena (and he should be found in contempt until he does so) and Sarah Palin cooperates with the investigation as she has previously agreed, McCain and Palin should be asked "do you believe in the rule of law and in complying with legally issued subpoenas" at every opportunity.
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