A report, that came out Friday by a bi-partisan panel, stated Governor Palin is in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.
The reports says Governor Sarah Palin violated Alaska’s ethics laws and abused her power by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. But the committee has no authority to sanction Palin, and is not recommending a criminal investigation.
The inquiry focused on the discharge of Alaska’s Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he was fired for refusing to remove Wooten.
in addition the exploitation of power ruling, Branchflower made three other findings in his examination of the so-called Troopergate matter:
• Palin’s firing of her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, in July was a lawful exercise of her powers. However, Monegan’s refusal to fire Wooten was one of several reasons he lost his job, the investigator said.
• A Wooten workers’ compensation claim was properly handled by an Anchorage firm, Harbor Adjustment Service, working under contract to the state.
• The state attorney general’s office “failed to substantially comply” with Branchflower’s Aug. 6 request to Palin for e-mails about the case.
The investigation established that although Palin was within her rights to fire Monegan, she violated public trust by pressuring subordinates in a way that advanced her personal wishes.
A representative for the McCain-Palin campaign, Meghan Stapleton, said the information showed Palin acted lawfully in her judgment to dismiss Monegan. The campaign also characterized the investigation as a supporter attack on the vice presidential candidate. Governor Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legal budget dispute.
The conclusion come amid a animated race for the presidency between Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and his Republican rival Senator John McCain.
As the Republican vice presidential nominee departed her Pittsburgh hotel on Saturday morning, a reporter asked Palin if she abused her power in firing Monegan, which was the conclusion of the state investigator’s report released late Friday.
“No, and if you read the read the report you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member,” Palin responded before boarding her campaign bus. “You got to read the report, sir.”
Despite which side of the political line they walk on, analysts agree the inquiry and its conclusions are a distraction for the McCain campaign they they do not need, and it only hurts their in the battle for the presidency.