2nd Alaska Probe Finds Palin Did Not Violate Ethics Rules
By James V. Grimaldi
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the running mate to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, did not violate state ethics rules in allegedly trying to fire her former brother-in-law from the state troopers, an investigator for Alaska's State Personnel Board concluded in a report released on the eve of the election.
The finding of the State Personnel Board is the opposite of that found by an investigator for the Alaska legislature. He found last month that Palin abused executive power when she and her husband engaged in a campaign to oust Mike Wooten, her former brother-in-law, from the state police force.
The investigations began when Walt Monegan, the state police commissioner, alleged in July that he was fired by Palin for failing to oust Wooten. Palin denies that Monegan's firing had anything to do with whether Wooten remained on the force.
"There is no probable cause to believe that Governor Palin violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act by making the decision to dismiss Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mongan," the investigator, Timothy Petumenos, said. "There is no probable cause to believe that Governor Palin violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in any other respect in connection with the employment of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten."
After McCain selected Palin as his vice presidential nominee, her attorneys attempted to take the investigation out of the hands of the legislative investigator by asking the State Personnel Board to intervene. At a routine meeting this afternoon, the State Personnel Board, which is appointed by Palin, surprised attendees by announcing that its investigator would release his findings today.
Petumenos, an independent investigator hired by the State Personnel Board, released the bulky report at a news conference that began at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The legislature's investigator, Stephen Branchflower, found evidence that Palin actively joined her husband, Todd, in pursuing a personal vendetta against the trooper and that she used state employees to try to settle a score in a bitter family feud.
"Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: To get Trooper Michael Wooten fired," said the report released by a bipartisan legislative committee.
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