rssMcCain Camp Clears Palin of ‘Troopergate’ Wrongdoing
Friday, October 10, 2008 at 10:01 am
- 10 Comments
A probe investigating whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used her office to settle family vendettas has cleared Palin of any wrongdoing in the “Troopergate” scandal.
There’s just one catch. The investigation was conducted by the McCain campaign, and released its findings Thursday. The Alaska state legislature is expected to release its own report today on whether Palin dismissed a public official, Walter Monegan, for resisting pressure to fire her estranged brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, an Alaska state trooper.
From The Associated Press:
Lawmakers are expected to release their own findings Friday. Campaign officials have yet to see that report — the result of an investigation that began before she was tapped as McCain’s running mate — but said the investigation has falsely portrayed a legitimate policy dispute between a governor and her commissioner as something inappropriate.
“The following document will prove Walt Monegan’s dismissal was a result of his insubordination and budgetary clashes with Gov. Palin and her administration,” campaign officials wrote. “Trooper Wooten is a separate issue.”
All right, there you have it. Monegan was relieved because he was a bad employee. But, if the charges are baseless, then why the big investigation, led by the GOP-controlled legislature?
The campaign’s report instead blames former campaign opponent, Andrew Halcro, who has a blog, of conspiring with Wooten to pin Monegan’s dismissal on the family’s dispute with Wooten. Three days after Monegan was fired, they say, Wooten told his ex-wife, Palin’s sister, that: “You guys are going down. Get ready for the show.”
Two days after that confrontation, they say, Halcro and Wooten met at a hotel bar in Anchorage for more than three hours — and that evening, Halcro posted the first accusations on his blog that Monegan had been fired because of a vendetta against Wooten by the Palin family.
“It is tragic that a false story hatched by a blogger after drinks with Trooper Wooten led the legislature to allocate over $100,000 of public money to be spent in what has become a politically driven investigation,” the 21-page report concludes.
Although the report describes Wooten as a separate issue, the McCain campaign goes into great detail about the “rogue” trooper and his “long history of unstable and erratic behavior.” The campaign describes allegations of violence, including threatening Palin’s family and shooting his stepson with a stun gun.
The report also includes allegations that Wooten cheated the workers’ compensation system. Todd Palin has said he had numerous conversations with government officials about why Wooten was allowed to stay on the job.
So, basically, according to the McCain campaign, Palin dismissed Monegan for perfectly legitimate reasons, and didn’t actively pressure him to fire Wooten. But, just for good measure, Wooten was an unstable rogue who — though Palin had no interest in getting him fired — deserved to be fired anyway.
After initially agreeing to cooperate and publicly welcoming the investigation, the Palin administration began stone-walling after becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee. Ultimately, Palin’s husband, Todd, and seven of Palin’s aides testified in the legislature’s probe. The McCain campaign has been accused of interfering with the investigation to stall the final report until after the election.
The campaign has denied being worried about the potential fallout from the investigation’s final report — but this last-minute release to get out its side of the story, appears to be an effort to lessen the impact of the official report.
We should know what that impact will be later today.
Watch for TWI’s Laura McGann on this.
10 Comments
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 8:10 am
This no nothing race baiting pig is not qualified to be VP or Govenor of Al. She is a complete empty dress who cannot answer basic questions without note cards or Grandpa McCain by her side. Electing her to any office would make the US the laughingstock of the world.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 9:18 am
And then Monegan was replaced with Kopp, who promptly resigned after his sexual harrasment cases were brought to light.
Effective and well thought out government.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 10:34 am
TROOPERGATE TO DUPERGATE: A NEWS AND VERSE EXTRA
If
Troopergate=influencing the firing of an Alaska State Police Officer
Then,
Bloopergate=Firing whoever allowed the Couric interviews
Coopergate=Firing, from a helicopter, on a CNN correspondent
Swoopergate=Firing helicopter pilot who buzzed the Russian coast (which he could see from home)
Droopergate=Firing any and all pollsters
Groupergate=Firing an Alaska fish warden (see also: frying an Alaska fish warden)
Lubrigate=Firing anyone who stands in the way of oil drilling
Hoopergate=Firing the Wasilla basketball coach
Poopergate=Firing the Wasilla animal control officer
Scoopergate=Firing whoever cleaned up after the firing of the animal control officer
Recupergate=Firing whoever said there'd be no image problems in a VP slot
Recoupergate=Firing whoever said the home-stay per diem was a God-given right
Rupertgate=Firing the kid who delivers the Wall Street Journal and all those other papers
Snoopergate=Firing all those people who want to see state documents
Soupergate=Firing John McCain's chef (see also: cottage cheese, oatmeal)
Stuporgate=Firing the state bartender
Stoopergate=Firing anyone on the front porch (see also: Get off my lawn!)
Supergate=Firing everyone Todd doesn't like (see also: First Dude)
Yoopergate=Firing anyone left on the northern Michigan campaign staff
And,
Dupergate=Firing the advisor who first suggested the 2008 GOP VP Candidate
http://www.newsandverse.com
Light verse, ripped from the headlines
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
Hello: Governor Sarah Palin is not experienced, but her teenaged daughter Bristol ceratinly is.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
To whom did the campaign “release” its “report”?? I cannot find it anywhere. . . links?
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
This no nothing race baiting pig is not qualified to be VP or Govenor of Al. She is a complete empty dress who cannot answer basic questions without note cards or Grandpa McCain by her side. Electing her to any office would make the US the laughingstock of the world.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
And then Monegan was replaced with Kopp, who promptly resigned after his sexual harrasment cases were brought to light.
Effective and well thought out government.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
TROOPERGATE TO DUPERGATE: A NEWS AND VERSE EXTRA
If
Troopergate=influencing the firing of an Alaska State Police Officer
Then,
Bloopergate=Firing whoever allowed the Couric interviews
Coopergate=Firing, from a helicopter, on a CNN correspondent
Swoopergate=Firing helicopter pilot who buzzed the Russian coast (which he could see from home)
Droopergate=Firing any and all pollsters
Groupergate=Firing an Alaska fish warden (see also: frying an Alaska fish warden)
Lubrigate=Firing anyone who stands in the way of oil drilling
Hoopergate=Firing the Wasilla basketball coach
Poopergate=Firing the Wasilla animal control officer
Scoopergate=Firing whoever cleaned up after the firing of the animal control officer
Recupergate=Firing whoever said there'd be no image problems in a VP slot
Recoupergate=Firing whoever said the home-stay per diem was a God-given right
Rupertgate=Firing the kid who delivers the Wall Street Journal and all those other papers
Snoopergate=Firing all those people who want to see state documents
Soupergate=Firing John McCain's chef (see also: cottage cheese, oatmeal)
Stuporgate=Firing the state bartender
Stoopergate=Firing anyone on the front porch (see also: Get off my lawn!)
Supergate=Firing everyone Todd doesn't like (see also: First Dude)
Yoopergate=Firing anyone left on the northern Michigan campaign staff
And,
Dupergate=Firing the advisor who first suggested the 2008 GOP VP Candidate
http://www.newsandverse.com
Light verse, ripped from the headlines
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
Hello: Governor Sarah Palin is not experienced, but her teenaged daughter Bristol ceratinly is.
Comment posted October 10, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
To whom did the campaign “release” its “report”?? I cannot find it anywhere. . . links?
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