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Alaska Supreme Court Won't Block TrooperGate Report

The Alaska Supreme Court has refused to block the legislative investigation and report in TrooperGate. The report should be out today.

The Guardian reports that Gov. Sarah Palin, and some of her employees, may be censured.

In an attempt to mitigate the fallout, the McCain campaign released a competing report. Naturally, the report clears her. (Note: the report is by the McCain campaign, not the Personnel Board.)

The details of her husband Todd Palin's answers in the legislative probe are here. The Court's decison is below, the opinion should follow shortly.

< Palin Errs While Giving Expert Opinion | Friday Open Thread >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Todd's answers were baffling. (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by TomStewart on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 01:33:16 AM EST
    Not only did he come up with yet another reason for the firing, but for all the denials about not trying to fire Wooton, his answers (and the few that Gov. Palin has given) are all about Wooton and how he should have been fired.

    Really, get your stories straight and come back in four years.

    ..so Obama can beat you all over again.

    I release my OWN report. (5.00 / 0) (#8)
    by LarryInNYC on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 07:32:34 AM EST
    It shows that Palin shot Kennedy.

    Even though she hadn't been born yet (none / 0) (#10)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:05:42 AM EST
    or had invented time travel, right?

    Parent
    heh (none / 0) (#15)
    by connecticut yankee on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:30:44 AM EST
    I think it shows Todd Palin killed Kennedy. All the Kennedys actually.  He'll cop to anything if it keeps his wife on the VP track.

    Parent
    Nah, Alaskans against statehood (none / 0) (#28)
    by Cream City on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 06:03:13 PM EST
    woulda shot Ike.  Statehood was in 1959. :-)

    Me, I woulda dug up Seward to shoot his corpse.  I tend to be sympathetic to Native Americans whose lands were bought and sold out from under 'em.

    Parent

    Shorter Palin "report"... (5.00 / 0) (#26)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 11:30:22 AM EST
    ...I have reviewed all of the charges against me and I have found myself to be not guilty.  Nanny-nanny boo-boo!

    I'm confused (none / 0) (#1)
    by txpublicdefender on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 12:15:42 AM EST
    The article you linked to said the report clearing Palin was the McCain campaign's own report.  It doesn't mention it being the report of the Personnel Board.  It says it was based on "public filings and Todd Palin's affidavit."  Is this a joke?

    thanks, I fixed it (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 01:21:11 AM EST
    Yes, it wasn't the personnel board report but a report of the McCain campaign. Even more self-serving! Thanks for the correction.

    Parent
    It's kind of baffling (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by txpublicdefender on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 01:27:58 AM EST
    The MSNBC article is headlined "Palin Pre-Empts Report, Clears Self."  It's like an Onion headline.  

    I think I will pre-empt my client's jury trial next week by releasing a report right before voir dire clearing him.  

    Parent

    LOL (5.00 / 0) (#6)
    by cal1942 on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 02:09:38 AM EST
    It's like an Onion headline.

    Thanks txpublicdefender.

    It's been a hell of a year.

    Parent

    I say go for it (5.00 / 0) (#11)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:07:15 AM EST
    on the report clearing your defendant.  If the judge squawks, remind the judge that what's good for Sarah Palin is good for everyone else.  After all, she's Everywoman and Joe Sixpack all rolled into one....

    Parent
    Actually (none / 0) (#2)
    by kaleidescope on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 12:42:41 AM EST
    What we have here is just the order denying the appeal.  The court's opinion has not yet been released, but the order notes that it will be forthcoming.

    That's funny (none / 0) (#7)
    by Steve M on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 06:57:41 AM EST
    It never occurred to me that you can just release your own report!  Bill Clinton should have thought of that.

    when i first saw that (none / 0) (#9)
    by cpinva on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 08:27:22 AM EST
    MSNBC headline, i thought it was an Onion headline! lol

    Just so we all don't get too excited (none / 0) (#12)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:10:07 AM EST
    per the Anchorage Daily News, Branchflower first has to deliver his report to the committee that appointed him and then that committee has to decide to release it to the public.

    Branchflower, it appears, can't just put it out there in the public domain.

    So, look for another level of obstruction of the investigation before we get to the report.  If we ever do.

    That's a two-edged sword (none / 0) (#13)
    by rdandrea on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:25:47 AM EST
    And the republicans know it.

    The report will leak eventually.  There are politicians involved, after all.

    If they stonewall its release, it will just leak out closer to the election.

    It would be a better tactic to them to release it today (it's Friday after all), discredit it, and wait out the 2 news cycles in which it will be discussed.  

    Parent

    The test will be whether the report is a (none / 0) (#18)
    by Christy1947 on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:58:15 AM EST
    public document under the Sunshine Laws of Alaska.

    Parent
    Personnel actions (none / 0) (#19)
    by rdandrea on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:06:32 AM EST
    are typically exempted from state sunshine laws.

    I don't know how you'd characterize this investigation, but at the root of it was a personnel action.

    According to the Anchorage Daily News, Branchflower prepared two reports--one volume for public consumption and a second volume with sensitive personnel data.

    The Legislative Council, which ordered the investigation, will be briefed by Branchflower beginning at 9:00 AM Alaskan time.

    Parent

    The ADN report says (if you read it) (none / 0) (#20)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:20:28 AM EST
    that there are two volumes to this report.  Volume I is the report proper, some 263 or so pages.  Volume II is the appendix - the supporting documents, some 580 pages or so.  These documents in Volume II are segregated into that volume precisely because a lot (if not all) of them are confidential (personnel files and such) and cannot be released.  Volume I OTOH, is not necessarily confidential, and it will remain up to the Legislative committee to decide to release the report.  

    Parent
    re-read my post (none / 0) (#21)
    by rdandrea on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:25:18 AM EST
    I said that

    Parent
    Yes - you did (none / 0) (#23)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:31:37 AM EST
    I think I was trying to respond upthread, but I'm not sure anymore.  It's a busy day.

    No offense intended.

    Parent

    well (none / 0) (#14)
    by connecticut yankee on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:26:22 AM EST
    There is no way it won't leak in this atmosphere.  That's why they are freaking out with the fake reports and Todd Palin's bizarre confessions.

    Parent
    A question (none / 0) (#16)
    by CoralGables on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:39:10 AM EST
    does anyone think Todd Palin actually wrote that? Or was it written by someone in the McCain campaign? It was released to the media by the campaign.


    Parent
    I think they will release it (none / 0) (#25)
    by connecticut yankee on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:48:49 AM EST
    From ABC

    At their meeting today, Alaska lawmakers plan to vote to release the estimated 300-page report and some of the 1,000 or more pages of supporting documents. The 14-member legislative panel could recommend that the case be closed, that another committee continue to investigate or that the matter be referred to criminal investigators. Palin is in Ohio today attending several fundraisers but has no public appearances scheduled.


    Parent
    Note that the report, . . . (none / 0) (#17)
    by Doc Rock on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:44:06 AM EST
    . . . however, will be released on a Friday--a small gift for the McCain campaign spin merchants.

    Throwing Todd Under The Bus (none / 0) (#22)
    by MTSINAIMAMA on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:30:35 AM EST
    Well, he threw himself, actually...

    Mrs. P will make it up to him. (none / 0) (#24)
    by scribe on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 10:32:35 AM EST
    She'll get him a new snowmobile or a federal hunting license or something.

    Parent
    Apparently they call (none / 0) (#27)
    by MKS on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 12:28:05 PM EST
    them "snow machines" in Alaska....."Snowmobile" sounds better to me....

    Parent
    Daniel (none / 0) (#29)
    by caesar on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 06:53:10 PM EST
    I'll bet anyone here that if it were not for the politicization of Bristol getting pregnant, her boyfriend would not have asked her to marry him... and worse... they would have probably had her baby aborted. This would have fell out of favor with Sarah Palin, but... she would have forgiven her and life would have moved on.