Troopergate Report: Palin Abused Authority

The long-awaited and highly anticipated legislative report on Sarah Palin's "Troopergate" scandal concluded today that she broke state ethics law and abused her power as governor when she tried to fire her former brother-in-law a from his job as an Alaska state trooper.

The report, conducted by retired prosecutor Steve Branchflower, contains the statement: "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110 (a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act."

Palin allegedly fired her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan (left), because he did not fire Palin's former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten (right). However, the report concluded that Palin did not fire Monegan unlawfully, saying that there were other factors in his removal.

A spokesman for the bipartisan panel assisting with the investigation said the panel would probably have to wait until the Alaska legislature reconvenes in January (well after the presidential election) before deciding what to do next. In theory, they could impeach or fine her, but that is very very unlikely given the fact the legislature is controlled by fellow Republicans.

McCain got what he wished for: a story to drown out the constant reports of the failing and doomed economy. But I'm guessing it wasn't quite what he had in mind. Almost every major newspaper in the country convered the story in detail, including The Washinton Post, New York Times, LA Times, USA Today.

Here is an executive summary from one of my favorite bloggers at Electoral-Vote.com:

Palin's sister, Molly, was involved in a bitter divorce and child custody fight with her former husband, state trooper Mike Wooten. Palin, who supports family values, wanted to help her sister in the custody battle by causing her ex brother-in-law to be unemployed. So she asked the state commissioner of public safety, Walt Monegan, to fire Wooten. Monegan refused.

Wooten had been involved in some misconduct earlier, but Monegan told Palin that Wooten had been disciplined for it already and the case was closed. Monegan further told Palin to get off Wooten's case because that might be seen as an ethics violation. Palin took his advice and assigned her husband, Todd Palin, the job of getting state employees to work on getting Wooten fired. One of the attempts was a telephone call that was (lawfully) recorded and later released.

Branchflower found over a dozen specific incidents where state employees took action to try to get Wooten fired. Ultimately, Palin got frustrated with the process and fired Monegan. This firing was what started the investigation.

Palin's spokesman issued a statement denying her of all wrong-doing and declaring that the report is politically motivated. He said this even despite the fact that this investigation started before Jon McCain chose her as his running mate.

And the investigator, Steve Branchflower, has a reputation for integrity. The report does not at all look politically tilted. In fact, the president of the Alaska state senate, Lyda Green, a Republican from Palin's home town of Wasilla, said: "The problem with power is that people pay attention to it. And it's very easy to get beside yourself and use it in the wrong way. And we do have to leave personal business at home."

So what effects will this have on the McCain campaign? I have a feeling this won't go away quickly, and her favorable ratings will surely go down. And it further shows McCain's poor judgment in picking Palin as his vice-presidential nominee. It is clear that her vetting process was not very thorough, and if he can't vet his own running mate, how is he going to vet your cabinet members, treasury secretaries, federal judges, and other appointees in your administration?

I bet McCain wishes that he ignored his advisors and just picked his buddy Sen. Joe Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut, as his running mate--his pro-choice stance on abortion notwithstanding. McCain is stuck with Palin, for better or for worse.