PALIN - Troopergate and Librariangate

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2008
PALIN - Troopergate and Librariangate
31
Fri, 10-03-2008 - 11:14am

Just to clarify Troopergate and  Librariangate:


The issue is that Palin tried to pressure her ex-brother in law's supervisor to fire him because she and her family have a personal vendetta, AND that she used her power to disclose confidential information from his personnel records.


http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/090408/sta_328511946.shtml


 


Sopal posted this in another thread


 



FYI..."Troopergate" is about the firing of Walt Monegan who was a public safety commissioner in charge of the state troopers.  Supposedly Monegan wouldn't fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law and complained that he was getting pressure from Palin (or her administration) to fire the ex-brother-in-law.  Palin said she fired him for other reasons, but he insists that he was fired because he wouldn't fire the ex-brother-in-law.    Here is a link to the Anchorage Daily News collection of articles regarding the firing of Monegan:


http://www.adn.com/monegan/


 


Palin pressured the librarian and sent her a letter telling her she was going to be fired for not pulling certain books that Palin wanted taken out of the library.


http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515512.html


 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
Sat, 10-04-2008 - 2:38am
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26995799/
Judge refuses to block Palin firing probe
Five Republican state legislators said case has been tainted by politics











updated 9:55 p.m. ET, Thurs., Oct. 2, 2008


ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Alaska judge on Thursday refused to block a state investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner this summer.


Judge Peter Michalski threw out the lawsuit filed by five Republican state legislators who said the investigation had been tainted by partisan politics and was being manipulated to damage Palin shortly before the Nov. 4 presidential election.


"It is legitimately within the scope of the legislature's investigatory power to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the termination (of) a public officer the legislature had previously confirmed," the judge wrote in his decision.




The probe is looking into whether Palin, who is the Republican vice presidential candidate, and others pressured Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire a state trooper who was involved in a contentious divorce from Palin's sister, and then fired Monegan when he wouldn't dismiss the trooper. Palin says Monegan was ousted over budget disagreements.

The five Republican lawmakers had argued that the legislative body that ordered the investigation exceeded its authority. Their attorney, Kevin Clarkson, said the political bias was demonstrated by the plan of the Legislature's independent investigator to issue a report by Oct. 10 although the full legislature won't consider until reconvening in January.


Ruling released minutes before debate
But Michalski said in his ruling that the mere appearance of impropriety does not mean any individual's right to fairness was violated.


In the ruling, released minutes before Palin and Sen. Joe Biden faced off in a debate in St. Louis, Michalski agreed with defense attorney Peter Maassen, who argued that the Legislature has the authority to investigate the governor as it sees fit.


"He agreed with us on pretty much everything," Maassen said of the judge's ruling. "The separation of power principles that governed this case seemed pretty clear."


Maassen represents the Legislative Council, 10 Republicans and four Democrats who authorized the investigation, and others involved in the probe.


Clarkson did not immediately return a message left at his office.


At first, Palin agreed to cooperate with the probe, but since being picked Aug. 29 to be McCain's running mate, she, her family and staff have instead said the legislative investigation has been compromised by politics and that they would only cooperate with a separate investigation run by the Alaska State Personnel Board, whose members Palin can fire.


Michalski also threw out a lawsuit filed by Palin aides who had been subpoenaed to testify in the investigation. The aides had argued that the subpoenas should not have to be honored because they should not have been issued.


Todd Palin, the governor's husband, also refused to testify under subpoena, but he was not a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by the state.

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