The results of the investigation into Sarah Palin’s firing of Walt Monegan, her Commissioner of Public Safety, are out. (pdf) Here is what Investigator Stephen Branchflower wrote:
As Flap noted in his post on the report, Sarah Palin’s abuse of power stems from her INACTION, meaning she did little or nothing to stop her husband Todd from pushing the issue.
However, a sworn affidavit, Todd Palin says Sarah told him to “drop it”:
In his sworn statement to legislative investigators, released yesterday, Mr Palin is unapologetic about his efforts to get Mr Wooten fired, but denied his crusade had anything to do with the dismissal of Mr Monegan.
He described his former brother-in-law, Mr Wooten, as a violent, unstable man who threatened the family’s safety, used a stun gun on his stepson and unfairly collected disability benefit.
He said he was frustrated that Wooten kept his job and complained to senior officials in his wife’s administration. He complained to his wife so much, he said, she told him to drop it.
Although the report also says the actions of the governor were “proper and lawful,” the headlines are reading “Palin Abused Power.” Or worse, euronews’ headline reads: Palin found guilty over ‘Troopergate’ affair.
So what does it all mean? Freeper xzins sums it up best:
Here’s the bottom line: A group of political enemies announced that Governor Palin broke no laws but did things they didn’t like.
Political enemies? But there were 10 Republicans on the team and only five Democrats. You are joking, right?
Not so much.
In September, the person overseeing the investigation, Democratic Sen. Hollis French, referred the to the results of the investigation as an “October surprise”:
French says the McCain campaign failed to contact any of the Senators involved in the investigation during the vetting process of Gov. Palin.
“If they had done their job they never would have picked her,” said French. “Now they may have to deal with an October surprise,” he said, referring to the scheduled release Oct. 31 of the committee’s final report.
Also, Stephen Branchflower had to cede his subpeona list to French, who then struck one name from the list:
A Friday hearing revealed that an Obama partisan has manipulated an independent investigator’s subpoena list for a controversial inquiry against GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
…
Investigator Steven Branchflower admitted he had ceded control of his subpoena list to Sen. Hollis French (D.) during Alaska’s Joint Judiciary Committee September 12 hearing that was scheduled to approve subpoena requests. [CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO.] French is a partisan who has endorsed Palin’s Democratic presidential ticket rival Barack Obama for president and is actively supporting his candidacy.
Lawmakers approved 13 of Branchflower’s subpoena requests that day, which included one for Palin’s husband, Todd. Four other subpoenas were approved for aides Branchflower believes participated in a meeting called by Palin’s former chief of staff Mike Tibbles where Wooten’s firing was allegedly discussed.
Rep. David Guttenberg (D.) asked Branchflower why he was requesting subpoenas for only those people attending the meeting and not Tibbles himself.
Branchflower said he would “have to defer that question to Mr. French.”
“I put the list together with, talking to Mr. French,” Branchflower added.
The independent investigator had to turn control of his supoena list to a Democrat leading the investigation. A Republican State Senator asked him why he needed to defer the question to French.
Sen. Gene Therriault (R.) told Branchflower, “I don’t understand why you would have to defer that question to Sen. French. If it’s your list you’re in complete control of the list, then why can’t you answer the question?”
Branchflower had no explanation. He only offered, “I’m not sure why his name was removed. My initial request was to have him on the list.” At that point, French interjected. “It appeared to me there wasn’t the political will to subpoena Tibbles.”
“Something’s fishy here,” Therriault replied. “I mean either Mr. Branchflower conducts his investigation without direction, and now we know he’s been directed on the date and changing what he’s doing and how he’s doing it because of the time pressure he is feeling. And now we’re hearing that people that he’s trying to get information from, there’s direction going on on that, too.”
Kim Elton, the chairman of the committee that released the report was asked to remove French from the committee. He refused:
Democratic Sen. Hollis French was accused of manipulating the probe for political effect on national and state elections. Republican Rep. John Coghill last week asked the Alaska Legislature’s Legislative Council, the body that appointed French to oversee the investigation, to discuss replacing French.
Coghill said he believed the investigation was lacking in fairness, neutrality and due process after French was quoted in media reports that the probe’s results were going to be an “October surprise” that is “likely to be damaging to the administration.”
On Monday, Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, the head of the Legislative Council, turned down his request. French’s decisions to date have been appropriate, bipartisan and unchallenged, Elton wrote to Coghill. And the comments French made were “corrected in a very public way in the media,” Elton wrote.
Finally, here’s a nice picture from Alaska:
In case you missed it, that is Sens. Ken Elton and Hollis French, smiling prodly in display of their support for Sen. Barack Obama for president. The guy chairing the committee and the man charged with keeping him honest, on full partisan display.
The McCain Campaign was apparently ready for this finding, and released this ad:
Does it seems at all fishy to you, because it smells to high Heaven to me?
