By Calvin Palmer
The state Personnel Board has cleared the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, of abusing her power in the so-called Troopergate affair.
The three-member board, one of whom was appointed by Palin, found that she did not violate state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner earlier this year. The finding contradicts an earlier investigation by the state Legislature.
The report by the Personnel Board stated there was “no probable cause to believe that the governor or any other state official, violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with these matters.”
It did say that it was “concerned” about the use of private e-mail addresses for government work by Palin and her staff since e-mails using those addresses could not be archived and used for evidence in the investigation after deletion.
The investigation by the Legislature, which Palin refused to testify before, concluded she abused her office by allowing her husband and staffers to pressure the public safety commissioner, Walter Monegan, to fire a state trooper who went through a nasty divorce from Palin’s sister.
Palin denies Monegan’s dismissal was related to the trooper, Palin’s former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten.
The Personnel Board’s report states that Palin denies Monegan’s version of events, particularly the two conversations Monegan described having with her. Palin says those conversations about Wooten never happened.
Reacting to Palin’s denial of those two conversations, Monegan said: “It happened.”
Personnel Board investigator Tim Petumenos concluded that the Legislature’s investigator used the wrong state law as the basis for his conclusions and also misconstrued the evidence.
Palin requested the second investigation be conducted by the state Personnel Board after alleging the investigation by the Legislature was politically motivated.
Maybe it was because the investigation by the Legislature cast her in a poor light, whereas the Personnel Board, which is under the governor’s control, would provide a more favorable conclusion.
You might think that, but I couldn’t possibly comment. Politicians huh?
[Based on reports by The Daily Telegraph and The Miami Herald.]
Calvin Palmer's Weblog 