Panel: Palin abused power
— -- Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday.
Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by the panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Actstate, which prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.
The bipartisan, joint committee of state lawmakers hired former prosecutor Branchflower in July to investigate whether Palin's dismissal earlier that month of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan was improper.
Palin's husband, Todd, and aides to the governor had talked to Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten, who had divorced the governor's sister and, according to the Palins, threatened the governor's family.
Palin's campaign sought to limit any potential fallout from the report by releasing a 21-page statement Thursday saying the legislative investigation had "questionable origins" and was "politically driven."
Monegan has said he felt pressured to fire Wooten, who denies threatening the Palins. The campaign's Thursday statement said Palin fired Monegan because he "proved unable to follow the policies of the Palin administration and pressed his own agenda without regard for the formal budgeting process." The statement says that as governor, Palin had the authority to fire Monegan for any reason.
The report found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. "I feel vindicated," Monegan said. "It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."
The panel of lawmakers voted to release the report, although not without dissension. There was no immediate vote on whether to endorse its findings.
"I think there are some problems in this report," said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. "I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye."
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