Consider this: what if there was no “troopergate” investigation? The MSN would run a different smear: “Gov’s ex-brother-in-law Tazers Nephew – Gov. Does Nothing” and then they would challenge her credibility as a reformer. LOL!

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out, does it?

So I’m going to apologize to you, and concede. I’ll go with the “filing the complaint against herself” bit. Which, BTW, I have no problem with. I’m not a fan of “congressional investigation”… either federal or state. There’s something particularly sleazy and inbred about the process.

And yes, I’m working on an update. However in the latest breaking news, the emails of Sarah’s to Monegan are still a non-isse. First, they contain nothing incriminating. From what I understand, they do point out Wooten is a scumbag trooper who doesn’t deserve to be in the AST. But that’s certainly not a false statement.

But there is nothing that shows pressure to fire Wooten, and therefore nothing to support his case he was terminated by not acting on Wooten.

Instead, Trooper’gate is about to take a differenct tact.

More later…going to see if McCain can follow Sarah….

I got most the facts from wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Public_Safety_Commissioner_dismissal
It’s heavily footnoted.

You are right about Palin not making the appointments; they were Murkowski’s. TPM is in error.

So, let’s return to the basics:

Palin is now refusing to testify to the state’s “bipartisan committee of the Alaska Legislature [that] voted 12-0 to hire an independent investigator to investigate Palin and her staff for possible abuse of power surrounding the dismissal.(wiki)

Yet in August

Legislators … decided subpoenas aren’t needed in the investigation of whether the governor or her aides improperly tried to pressure the public safety department to fire trooper Mike Wooten.

…or here (WP): “Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week moved to change the jurisdiction of the case to the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Therefore, before attempting her new jurisdictional run-around to blunt the state investigation, she _was_ willing to cooperate earlier. Now she is refusing.

Of course, things have changed now; she’s in the big game. The investigation was to end in Oct., a terrible time for being in the game. So, this needed attention, and so it’s getting it.

I stand by my statement:

So, in essence, Palin is making a case for the state not having jurisdiction on ethics complaints. Yet, in saying this she is saying ‘I am making out an ethics complaint against myself.’

Here’s the media seeing it the same way:

French said he’s consulting with Republican legislative leaders. The process will be fair to Palin, he said.

Palin filed an ethics complaint against herself to get the matter in front of the Personnel Board.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/515508.html (local)

Gov. Sarah Palin wants a state board to review the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan — taking the unusual step of making an ethics complaint against herself.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/election2008/story/51592.html

Van Flein filed papers Monday night with the state attorney general’s office to request the investigation be taken out of the hands of the Legislature — effectively amounting to the governor filing an ethics complaint against herself. Van Flein said the matter belongs before the Personnel Board, all three members of which were first appointed by Palin’s predecessor.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/03/palin.investigation/

Again, that’s why it’s “unusual”.

MH says,

Well now, Doug, if it’s more than about Sarah abusing her power as governor, exercising pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten, why don’t you tell us what those charges are?

As I said, her and her staff, or administration, is being investigated as well:

Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday revealed an audio recording that shows an aide pressuring the Public Safety Department to fire a state trooper embroiled in a custody battle with her sister.

Palin, who has previously said her administration didn’t exert pressure to get rid of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.
…

http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/492964.html?loc=interstitialskip

Here we find it more to the point:

The Legislature has hired Steve Branchflower, a retired state prosecutor, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Monegan firing. That includes looking at accusations that Palin, her aides and her husband had pressured Monegan to fire a state trooper who went through a divorce with the governor’s sister.

http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/492077.html

MH says,

Or do they have to run an investigation before they can find out what those other charges are? That’s not an investigation. That’s a Salem witch hunt.

Well, it’s Palin that ordered her own investigation:

n July, Palin came under a state ethics investigation and critics have said Palin’s claim that she did not know of the political pressure being placed on Monegan was a “little too convenient.” One fellow lawmaker, state Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat, told The Wall Street Journal that Palin could face impeachment. After French’s comments, Palin ordered the investigation into Monegan’s firing and told CNBC last month that lawmakers were unfairly targeting her.

“It’s cool. I want them to ask me the questions. I don’t have anything to hide,” she said during the interview. “Didn’t do anything wrong there.”

The investigation is expected to cost about $100,000 and last at least three months, according to The Associated Press.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/mccains_vp_pick_palin_facing_e.html

Call it what you want, but Palin was under pressure to act, so she really had no choice.
Remember, it was Palin that ordered

MH says,

She said she had nothing to hide, and would cooperate with a investigation. However she should NOT cooperate with an investigation that is conducted outside of legal jurisdiction.

No, she never, until now, said she would disregard the state legislature’s investigation. Now she claims, as you do, it’s up to the ‘Personnel Board’:

John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has asked the state’s personnel board to review allegations that she improperly ordered the firing of the former public safety commissioner.

The move, which her office announced Tuesday, aims to blunt a probe already ordered by the state legislature. Palin is accused of firing Walt Monegan for failing to dismiss a trooper who went through a messy divorce with Palin’s sister before she was governor.
…

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7VIY5GfDmjy-A5HsGLuHvA0SHtgD92V0QCG1
==============

MH, are you going to do an update on the more recent event of her leaked emails?
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/the-palin-email.html

You spit out Marshall’s TPM lies, and totally ignore the legal procedures. And I’m not going to let you get away with that.

You say…

It’s unusual in this sense, Palin requested her own three person ‘Personnel Board’ –that she appointed — review the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Monegan.

As I CLEARLY stated above, the three person personnel board doesn’t have to be “requested”… it exists as part of govt structure there. The three people were all appointed by Murkowski. Do I need to say that a little louder? BY MURKOWSKI. Duh One of them, evidently had their tenure come around, and Palin RE appointed her. She did not seek a replacement.

That’s an outright lie from you… checked off as BS.

So, in essence, Palin is making a case for the state not having jurisdiction on ethics complaints. Yet, in saying this she is saying ‘I am making out an ethics complaint against myself.’

Nope.. You may “construe” it that way. But then I tend to believe Obama supporters will “construe” anything that they hope can knock down competition for His Messiahship…. the quintessential example of an unvetted candidate, BTW.

Don’t you know the difference between “disclosure” and “complaint”? You get disclosures when you buy houses, listen to commercials about drugs, etc. It is information that is required to be disclosed. Period.

Alaskan law requires that if there is suspected ethics violations by govt employees the disclosure forms must be filed. The actions by Halcro and French by instigating an investigation that is out of their jurisidiction obviously indicates *someone* suspects there is an ethics violation. She is not putting in a complaint against herself… it’s more like a formal alert. She is advising the AG of a suspected ethics complaint, as per the law, and what she knows about the circumstances. The reasons for a Ethics Disclosure form is stated quite plainly in the brief.

Yet the state investigation involves more that just ethics, it is also investigating others in the Administration and is more than just about an abuse of power, they argue. Hence, that’s the oddity: she’s filing an ethics complaint against herself. Of course, she wouldn’t see it that way, but that’s how it can be construed.

Well now, Doug, if it’s more than about Sarah abusing her power as governor, exercising pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten, why don’t you tell us what those charges are? Or do they have to run an investigation before they can find out what those other charges are? That’s not an investigation. That’s a Salem witch hunt.

Secondly, if they are investigating “others”, then why assail Palin? Third… if they are investigation others, such as Bailey, who’s on administrative leave, then they are still doing it… how shall I say this… OUTSIDE THEIR JURISIDICTION.

Anyway, whereas Palin had agreed work with the state’s investigation, now she refuses to, claiming the state is involved in a jurisdictional over reach.

This is especially desperate from you, Doug. She said she had nothing to hide, and would cooperate with a investigation. However she should NOT cooperate with an investigation that is conducted outside of legal jurisdiction.

And lookie at you… the woman will cooperate with a investigation following Alaskan law, and you’re whining because she won’t walk into the bear trap deliberately set by her political enemies.

Personally, I can’t wait for her to get to the beltway, and make even more political and media enemies.

You, Doug, have really lost it on this one. And BTW, could you give us someone with more substance the one-step-above-a-tabloid TPM? I use local and int’l papers, blogs from both sides. Lately you’re really hitting rock bottom… one little news blurb from a place as ethically questionable as Huffpo.

“Unusual” ethics disclosure?? It is part of procedural law. Perhaps it’s “unusual” in that it’s not common to have these ethics investigations. Especially since Governor Palin has made it her prime business to end corruption by cleaning house. But Marshall is disingenous to suggest this is some unique and questionable approach to Alaskan law governing ethics violations.

It’s unusual in this sense, Palin requested her own three person ‘Personnel Board’ –that she appointed — review the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Monegan. She’s requested the matter be dropped by the state legislature, as her attorney argues, in the Disclosure, the Personnel Board has jurisdiction over ethics. So, in essence, Palin is making a case for the state not having jurisdiction on ethics complaints. Yet, in saying this she is saying ‘I am making out an ethics complaint against myself.’ Yet the state investigation involves more that just ethics, it is also investigating others in the Administration and is more than just about an abuse of power, they argue. Hence, that’s the oddity: she’s filing an ethics complaint against herself. Of course, she wouldn’t see it that way, but that’s how it can be construed.

Anyway, whereas Palin had agreed work with the state’s investigation, now she refuses to, claiming the state is involved in a jurisdictional over reach.

Yes maam… I have been learning lots about Ms. Palin over the past days. And all you say above, I did in my original Trooper’gate post linked above.

I, like you, did not have the benefit of witnessing it first hand, but had to pour thru archives to put together the time line of events. I’m quite glad to hear that it is as it appears.

And I thank you very much for your local perspective as confirmation.

Great post.

Barring FOX and a handful of others here and there, the media is full of disgusting, self-interested, hypocritical hacks.

I would expect nothing less from them…. it’s what they are… PATHETIC LIARS.

Ah yes,,, the party of tolerance and inclusion…

http://americandaily.com/article/23030