Sarah Palin and the truth about Troopergate
Not long after Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain’s running mate, accusations began flying right and left about alleged misconduct that took place by her and her office, in relation to the firing of Walt Monegan, Public Safety Commissioner of Alaska. Now known as Troopergate, the investigation is getting a lot of coverage by different media organizations, most likely in the hopes of finding something damaging to Governor Palin and her campaign for Vice President.
I have done extensive reading and research on Troopergate and as far as I can tell, there was no misconduct on the part of Governor Palin or her husband, Todd. Some of her staff may have been over zealous in contacting Monegan about the fate of Mike Wooten, the Alaska State Trooper in question, but the Governor and her family had no part in the contacts. In fact, if the allegations about Trooper Wooten are true, and from all indications they are, it makes me wonder how the man kept his job in the first place.
Rather than posting all of the facts in this article, I want to point you to a couple of different pages. One is a blogger who has performed very thorough research on the subject of Troopergate. Governor Palin And ‘That Trooper Investigation’: A Full Disclosure has the most extensive list of facts and sources that I have found anywhere. Hat tip to Ridgeliner for posting them for us to see. I urge you to take time to read the article I have linked to. It is full of information and facts on the investigation.
I also want you to watch the raw video feed of a press conference Governor Palin held on August 13, 2008. Her accusers would have us believe she has not been forthcoming with the information needed by the special investigator, Steve Branchflower, to conduct his probe. Nothing could be further from the truth and I believe the press conference proves it.
Governor Palin’s Press Conference
My main concern right now is that the investigation be conducted in a timely manner and not be used for political purposes. The investigation also needs to be impartial, which I also fear may be in jeopardy. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the Alaska State Senator in charge of oversight on the investigation, Hollis French, is already making statements that suggests he knows what the outcome of the investigation is going to be, even before it is finished.
Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, today released a letter criticizing statements French purportedly made in media interviews.
Coghill said French remarked that a forthcoming legislative investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin’s firing of her former public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, is “likely to be damaging to the administration” and has twice suggested the governor faces potential impeachment.
“These statements cause me to think that the report is already written even though the investigation is only just begun and the most important witnesses have not even been interviewed,” Coghill’s letter says. “The investigation appears to be lacking in fairness, neutrality and due process.”
It remains to be seen if the investigation will be used in a way to do the most damage to Governor Palin’s candidacy for Vice President. Time will tell.
That’s my take!
Larry
The media have been distorting this story from the start. Hollis French, who is overseeing the Troopergate investigation (read: witch hunt), is a partisan democrat Obama supporter.
His leaking information damaging to Palin about the as yet unwritten final report is well known, but now French has lied about the nature of his role in the investigation.
The legislature hired an “independent” investigator to take the politics out of this. French says that he has not influenced the investigation, but there is smoking gun proof that he has!
Not WRIGHT for America (http://notwrightforamerica.com) has been all over Hollis French on his numerous transgressions, which the media don’t want people to know about. They have the skinny.
Thanks for the kind words!
Your readers might be interested in this item as well: http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/sarah-palin-february-2008-live-c-span-interview/
Could I add you to my blog roll?
–Tom (Ridgeliner)
I have added you to my blogroll, Tom.
That’s a very telling interview, Tom and I would urge all of my readers to watch it when they get time to do so. If you can watch and not come away with the feeling that Sarah Palin really knows her stuff, then you didn’t see the same things I did.
You said, “but the Governor and her family had no part in the contacts. In fact, if the allegations about Trooper Wooten are true, and from all indications they are, it makes me wonder how the man kept his job in the first place.”
Palin did have part in the contact. She emailed Colonel Grimes on Wednesday, 10 Aug 2008 to disparage Trooper Wooten. A copy of the email is hosted here: http://media.adn.com/smedia/2008/07/23/10/palin-email.source.prod_affiliate.7.pdf. She waited to disparage Wooten by alleging all sort of poor behavior and illegal activities long after such activities were alleged to have occured. If there had been a real crime then she did not have the responsiblity to report them when they occured.
The reason the Trooper kept his job and was later promoted was that his offenses were not near as many nor as bad as Palin puffed them up to be in her attempt to disparage him as demonstrated in the other documents generated by the police investigation into those matters. These documents are also kindly hosted under the related links section here: http://www.adn.com/politics/story/468174.html.
Now, before you pull the post down, claiming I am just another Obama fan: Think again. I am a pro-life republican who voted for Bush twice. Although I am pretty sure at least the 2nd time was a mistake, I was leaning towards McCain long before he announced Palin as his VEEP choice. I am pro-McCain in this election but feel that Palin clearly abused her power and ought to be a big girl and admit her mistakes then step down from the platform.
Evidently, you haven’t been reading my bog for very long. Otherwise, you would know I do not refuse to post comments that disagree with what I have to say. So, your comment stands as it is. I will check on your facts later and respond.
Alnico,
The email you have posted the link to is to Colnel Grimes, of the Alaska State Police, not to Monegan. Sarah Palin has stated she did not contact Monegan and question him about Trooper Wooten and until she is innocent until proven guilty, in my opinion.
From reading your blog, it is clear you do not think Sarah Palin is a good choice for VP. I would be interested in knowing who you would have chosen, if you care to let me know.
If she’s so innocent of unethical conduct, then why is she not fully disclosing all the materials? And why is Van Flein engaged in legalistic badgering in the form of time-wasting motions?
The WSJ reported on page A8 that Palin’s own advisor suggested she and her husband issue an apology for their handling of the matter and that certain Palin staffers be fired for the advice they provided to the Palins. In addition, it was reported last night that a judge had told Palin to “back off” on the trooper investigation.
Maybe that’s why she’s pulling a bin laden and running for the wilderness. If this is all it takes to make her cut and run instead of standing and fighting, how’s she gonna handle that 3 am phone call?
gaddssss. …
Larry – as to better choices for McCain’s VP, if he wanted competent women, why not Hutchison, Snowe or Collins? If more experienced executive, why not Pawlenty, Romney, Ridge, or a few others?
Perhaps it’s like McCain said… it’s about personalities not the issues. As if personality is going to help the retired couple in the dead of winter when the oil man comes on the same day as their prescription renewal. Lotta good Palin’s personality is gonna do them then.
One reason McCain didn’t pick some of the people you mentioned is the fact that they are pro-choice and he knew if he did that, then the conservative base would stay at home and cost him the election.
Most of the opinions posted are just that, opinions, without facts. Does anyone take the time to find out what the truth is? If you would quit listening to the liberal media all the time and do some real searching for the truth, it is all out there. You can find the facts listed on a website “GovPalin And “That Trooper Investigation:AFullDisclosure” with documented citations. did you get that?” DOCUMENTED CITATIONS. Take the blinders off and do an honest search. Sarah Palin’s reasons for not cooperating are valid. The investigation is tainted, politically motivated and not interested in the real truth.
Larry,
Yes the email was to “Colonel Grimes” as I noted in my original post; and not Monegan. To be perfectly clear, we are talking about her contact with Colonel Grimes, director of Alaska State Troopers. Wooten was, and in fact still is, a Trooper. The judge in Sarah’s sister’s divorce case clearly told her sister that she and her family (including Palin) must stop disparaging Trooper Wooten. The email is simply tasteless and at the same time demonstrative of Palin’s character. IMO it demonstrates Palin’s motive.
As for who else I would have recommended? Probably Tim Pawlenty, MN but perhaps Dr.Conoleezza Rice. If I were McCain, I would have pulled out a list of my top 10 choices on a special night show /w David Letterman. Then let the media bake them for a couple of weeks before I picked one of them.
Larry, I would not call my giving a honest and fair assessment of the tasering “taking up” for Wooten; or anyone else. What Wooten did had consequences which he paid. I find it amazing how you could consider anything like the voluntary tasing of a child, or anyone else, even remotely like child molestation. Child molestation is not simply poor judgement such as Wooten’s momentary laps. Volunary tasing regardless of the appropriateness or the risk simply does not compare to the psycological damage and power play involved in real abuse. Realize, there have been many other incidents of children being tazed: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6468373, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser.
Palin had the motive to want Wooten out, Palin’s sister and family (including Palin) were already warned by a judge that he considered thier attacks on Wooten over the top. To me, Palin’s email is demonstrative of her intent to do Wooten in via any means necessary. Not an unreasonable assumption based upon the family history as documented by the courts and police. Mind you, she does get her day before the courts and/or non-judicial board as appropriate for a person in her position. Wooten deserves the same: People should stop making ludicrous accuasions that an “innocent” until proven guilty Wooten must be a molester / abuser, etc. The labels have criminal meaning and obviously Wooten simply did not do the crime. If we prosecute everyone who demonstrates poor judgement from time to time — we will all be prosecuted.
For the record, Pjran49; my parents did not know that I asked my friend to stun me — and truthfully, it was the old more dangerous Stun-Gun not a Tazer that was used. My parents were not upset at all when I told them. After all, my Dad was an electronics technician and understood exactly how small the risks were compared to all that tree climbing I did as a kid.
Jerry: exactly my point..
Alnico,
Call it what you will, but you are still taking up for a man who has clearly abused his position as a state trooper. I promise you this. If he was a trooper in Oklahoma or Arkansas, he would not still be on the force.
You are also ignoring the facts of the case, in that Walt Monegan clearly was going behind Governor Palin’s back and she had every reason to fire him. Just for the record, firing him wasn’t her first choice. She tried to get him to transfer to another position that would be a better match for him and he declined. You clearly are on a witch hunt and you have no intention of believing anything Sarah Palin says or anything I or anyone else says in her defense.
Larry, your argument that I am on a witch hunt is clearly ad hominim. Rather than attacking me why don’t you try attacking my position with sound arguments?
Where is the proof that Monegan was going behind her back? I have not read any legal documents which demonstrate it. Where is the employment file with warnings and the like that are typically required as burdeon of proof against worker’s comp claims, etc.?
While it is reasonable to suggest she fired him for going behind her back, I have never heard of any other employeer offering a person another position rather than firing someone who would not agree to stop such behavior. If that is the case then there must be records of Monegan taking official action that was behind her back and not simply something he was entitled to do as any citizen. Any agrument that going outside of normal channels for Monegan must be fairly applied to Palin’s out of normal channel communcations. That means her unofficial email account communications and any messages she may have relayed through 3rd parties should also be treated as official if we are to treat any non-official statements by Monegan as official.
If this was such a clear thing as you imply in your appeal to simplicity then more than just one member of the investigative team would have been against the subpoena for Palin. You discredit your own arguments when you try to make appeals that this issue is so simple in order to dismiss my arguments rather than answer them.
Alnico,
Sarah Palin offered Walt Monegan a different job because she thought it was a job that could utilize his talents. She did not want to fire him, but he refused that job, so she had no choice. That is her stated position on that. You may want to deny Monegan actually went behind her back, but there is plenty of evidence that shows he was doing it. There are emails that have been released by Palin that show that very thing. I suggest you read these files to see the timeline.
The reason I say you are on a witch hunt is because I have been to your website and you clearly dislike Sarah Palin with a vengeance. You have questioned her on anything you could think of and have even accused her of child abuse by questioning Mike Wooten and his actions. I have said it before and I will say it again, any fool who submits to a minor asking to be tasered should be fired. Just because you had it done to you doesn’t mean it is right. I find it very strange that you would take up for someone like that and then turn around and accuse Sarah Palin the way you do.
Larry, Regarding your suggested reading: http://hotair.cachefly.net/images/2008-09/palin-response.pdf. Most of this is what lawyers call legal positioning. These documents are not all inclusive, do not include any standpoint other than that of Palin who is biased in the adversarial system trying to have allegations of her investigated by counsel to be appointed by those same people she appointed to the Personel Board.
The facts are clear that if Palin is not being abusive not she was clearly derelict, or just plain foolish, for not reporting what she claims was a real threat to her sister when it happened. Instead she waited until it was in her sisters best interest with regard to child custody dispute.
Palin’s real goal appears to be sure to make sure her sister has more custody of her children without regard to thier need to be with thier father.