Friday, October 10, 2008

Troopergate Report - Sarah Palin Broke The Law!

The chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday that Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The bipartisan panel found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Lawmakers don't have the authority to sanction her for such a violation, and they gave no indication they would take any action against her.

The much anticipated report was subject to a lot of legal maneuvering my the McCain campaign to try to delay it's release until after the election. That action failed and now the McCain PR staff is calling the report partisan and biased.

Here's my take. In a majority Republican state, for a bipartisan panel to find she was in violation of ethics laws seems pretty clear. Palin used her influence to settle a family grudge, and that is the plain truth. Now, will the state's personnel board take action against her? She could face impeachment and that would play poorly for the McCain campaign.

If you ever needed a reason NOT to vote for McCain/Palin, this is a pretty good one!

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